Be All That You Can Be
by BMontague
Summary: With graduation & everybody heading to college, Puck thinks he'll end up a Lima Loser...Til he decides to change that by joining the Army. What will he and Quinn do when the stakes are raised, in turn threatening their future?
1. Chapter 1

**Be All That You Can Be**

**Chapter 1**

_A Lima Loser. That is all he was, and it was all he was ever going to be. A Lima Loser_.

Puck should be enjoying himself at this party. Hell, half the time he was the life of the party. He should be starting up a game of beer pong or flip cup or even Truth or Dare, but no. Instead, he was sitting here on the couch staring at the red plastic beer cup he had been nursing for the past hour contemplating how, in 6 months after they all had graduated, everyone else was going on to bigger and better things except for him. He was stuck here in Lima, and would end up to be the Lima Loser everyone always predicted he would become after leaving high school.

It all started earlier that night. Mr. Schue had hosted a small "holiday" party for the glee club members at his apartment. (He had to start calling it a "holiday" party after Puck and Rachel commented on how a few of the glee members didn't exactly celebrate "Christmas" so Mr. Schue settled on calling it a holiday party instead of the "Chrismukka Fiesta" Puck had suggested as an alternative.) They laughed and joked around, and were treated to an impromptu karaoke session led by, shocker, Rachel Berry and Mercedes Jones. But it wasn't the gathering of the glee kids at Mr. Schue's place that bothered him. He was a senior now, and had been performing with these people for the past three years, so he knew them all very well by now, even if he didn't want to admit it.

What finally got to him was when Mr. Schue made a toast to all of them for coming together over the past few years and how he couldn't believe that their time together was coming to an end soon when everyone would go off on their own after graduation, but he was proud of all of them and hoped they would all come back and say hey from time to time. They toasted their glasses, a few of the girls got a bit teary-eyed, and everyone got up and gave Mr. Schue a big group hug. It did not really hit Puck that they were all graduating soon and going on to other things after high school until Mr. Schue acknowledged it. He knew they weren't going to stay in high school forever and he honestly had been anxious to get out of there and go on to be a rockstar for as long as he could remember, but he must have gotten so wrapped up in enjoying the experience that he forgot it was all coming to an end soon and people were going their separate ways.

After all the kids left Mr. Schue's for the evening, Tina had invited them all over for an after-party at her house. Her parents were away for the weekend and felt this was the perfect time to rebel a little, so she and Mike had gone ahead and invited everyone over for a little fun before the holidays. But even though everyone else at the party was having a great time, reminiscing and telling stories and just having a great time with one another, Puck couldn't help but feel a little down and left out by the whole group.

It wasn't that they didn't like him, or that they were all treating him like he didn't exist like they all did after they found out he was the father of Quinn's baby instead of Finn. He had this strange feeling eating away at him that he didn't quite fit in with the rest of them anymore, or that he ever would after high school for that matter. They were all better than him, they were all going on to do bigger things after they graduated, and they would end up being too good to associate with him after that, so why not start the separation process now right?

Mercedes and Kurt had been accepted into the Parson's School of Design in New York City to study fashion. Kurt had come back to McKinley after his brief stint at Dalton, and decided that the feeling of family he had with the people he cared about at McKinley was more important than running away from the bullying by going to Dalton. He was Finn's brother now, and after an altercation Finn and the rest of the boys from glee club had with Karofksy, nobody had messed with Kurt since. That and he told everyone the people at Dalton were all a bit strange…and not in a good way. Mercedes was truly talented in anything she did and she was always her own person, never letting anyone tell her what to do. NYC was the perfect move for the two divas since they could never really express themselves while they were stuck here in Lima and both of them had an eye for style and a flair for the dramatic, so Puck knew they would do well for themselves there.

Rachel, Tina and Mike were all headed to New York as well. Nobody was really all that shocked at Rachel's decision, as everyone knew she was hell-bent on starring on Broadway. People were a bit surprised to hear that Tina was headed that way too though. She was always fairly quiet when it came to what she wanted to do with her future, but she was always very multi-talented when they performed so it was strangely fitting that both she and Rachel had been accepted into New York University's Tisch School of the Performing Arts. Even though Mike had always been a jock and played football with the guys for years, you had to be blind or living under a rock to not see how talented of a dancer he was. The people at Julliard are neither blind nor living under a rock, and were able to spot his talent while New Directions performed at nationals in NYC the past spring, and immediately asked him to audition for them. He was accepted and ultimately relieved, as most of the dudes in glee club were, that he wouldn't have to wear tights…all the time.

Artie was always the AV guy, and while he was a nerd who helped tutor Puck in math, he could actually pull off some pretty cool effects stuff, and was a computer graphics wiz! Puck had to respect the guy who rolled into school in suspenders and a bow tie and still managed to get someone as hot as Brittney. Dude was smart and talented, but he didn't feel like performing was in his future as much as some of the other glee clubbers. He earned himself a full scholarship to study graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Fish-lips himself was headed to some small school in Kansas to play football. Puck himself couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that he honestly couldn't remember a time where he actually used the name 'Sam' when referencing him in his thoughts…or out loud for that matter. Oh well Blondie, enjoy Kansas… though Puck respected the fact Sam was offered a scholarship to play out there, he was still a bit bitter that his football prospects had not turned out so well.

Lauren had decided to forego college for the time being and pursue other endeavors with the WWE organization. Puck couldn't blame her, especially with the amount of money they were waving in her face if she were to sign with them right after she graduated. Puck had spent many a night even after he and Lauren's "relationship" had ended trying to think up nicknames she could go by as a pro-wrestler…she shot down every suggestion. Granted, they all had to do something with how big her ass was, but still, at least he tried.

Finn had been looked at by several scouts and Puck was almost sure he was going to be offered a spot on some football or basketball team at some school, he was simply waiting for the day when Finn finally heard back from some places. They hadn't exactly been the best football team in Ohio, but they did have a good past few seasons and Finn was a good QB, so Puck figured if the Pittsburgh Steeler's QB Ben Roethlisberger could make it out of Lima, OH and play both college and pro-football, Finn totally had a shot. And Finn would never try to sexually assault anyone, so he even had a point up on Roethlisberger at this point!

Over the past year, Finn and he had patched up their relationship and were once again good friends. Finn realized he was in love with Rachel, and the power couple of glee club had been together since just before nationals their junior year. Although Finn had tried to feel the same way about Quinn that he used to prior to baby-gate their sophomore year, he had always been in love with Rachel, and Quinn knew it, so she actually broke it off with him prior to nationals that year, and he got back together with Rachel. They two had been sickeningly cute ever since.

And then there was _her_. Part of him always hoped and even dreamed that she broke up with Finn eight months ago because she was only dating him for the Prom Queen status he would help her get, and that she would realize she was actually in love with Puck, but Puck knew that was a long shot. After she and Finn had broke up, they still both won Prom King and Queen, even though Finn took Rachel and Mercedes and Quinn took each other as friends, since neither had a date. Puck was going to ask her, he even had a plan as to how he would ask her, but he knew what her answer was probably going to be. No. She had avoided him like the plague after Beth was born, and the only time she really looked at him or acknowledged his existence their whole junior year was when she yelled at him at Rachel's party for ruining her body by getting her pregnant. So he reluctantly took Santana, who was equally pissed off she couldn't take Britt to the dance since Britt went with Artie.

Puck and Santana's relationship changed quite a bit over junior year and the first part of their senior year. They stopped hooking up and sleeping together as they both realized that neither person was actually into it anymore. Strangely enough they actually became ok friends, and started talking to one another about stuff they probably wouldn't have to other people. Puck and Santana were essentially the same person, with the same badass attitude and sense of humor, just different genders. Santana confessed everything she felt toward Brittney to Puck, and while Puck didn't know what to say about the whole "gay or bi" part of the equation other than how hot that would be to watch, he felt for her. He told her he knew what it felt like to care so much about a person who you know you can't have, who is always somehow unattainable. Once he confessed this to her, he was expecting her to crack a joke about him needing to find his balls somewhere or that he sounded like a girl, but she simply turned to look at him and said one word: "Quinn."

Quinn was always on his mind, and had been for as long as he can remember, even before Beth. So he waited patiently through all of junior year hoping she would come around and see that she did want to be with him after all. They were so good together while she was pregnant with Beth, besides that whole 'sexting incident', and he knew he fucked that one up, but even after that he tried as hard as he could to be good to her and to show her that he would make a good boyfriend and a good father to their child. But after they gave their daughter up, it seemed like Quinn shut herself off from everyone around her, especially him, and as much as he hated to admit it, that really hurt. She came back to school junior year and pretended like nothing happened, wearing that Cheerios uniform and making the students in the hall part like the Red Sea when she walked by, just like she had before she was pregnant. She wanted everything back the way it was before the baby, before Puck ruined it as she liked to say. So all junior year she avoided him.

Puck tried going back to his old ways too by hooking up with all the other Cheerios and singing songs to other girls in Glee club to try and make her jealous. Hell, he even dated Lauren, who really wasn't his type but was a badass who was the complete opposite of Quinn, just to try and get a reaction out of her. But nothing worked. She dated Trouty Mouth for a period of time, then she jumped back to Finn so she could try and solidify her popularity by winning Prom Queen. So when she broke up with Finn, Puck hoped it would be because she realized she still had feelings for him. But for the remainder of junior year and into the summer, Puck never heard as much of a peep from Ms. Quinn Fabray.

That was until mid-September this year, less than three months ago. She had gone over a year without speaking to him when out-of-the-blue she texts him "Good Game Tonight" after a big win against one of their rival schools. He thanked her and asked her what she was doing that night. He never got a reply. Every once in a while she would say hi to him in the halls or make small comments to him during class, but nothing really of substance until late November of this year.

_It was the day after Thanksgiving when Quinn showed up on his doorstep, tears streaming down her face as she stared blankly up into his eyes. He hated seeing girls cry and never knew what to say so the only thing he could think to do at the time was reach out and pull her into a hug. He remembers how she leaned into his embrace and the way she fit so perfectly against his chest even as body wracked with sobs and a wet spot formed on his shirt from her tears. After she calmed down, he asked what happened and she explained that she was out shopping with her mom when she saw Shelby Corcoran pushing a stroller with a little curly blonde girl in it around the mall. Quinn didn't approach her or anything, she felt as though she was frozen in her tracks and she couldn't take her eyes off the green-eyed little girl until Shelby had rounded the corner. She explained that all she could do was stare at her, and she wasn't completely sure when she had started crying or how she even got to Puck's house, but that she could no longer try to delude herself that she was ok giving Beth up for adoption or that she didn't miss the little girl every day since she was born. _

_Seeing the Ice Queen Fabray's icy exterior finally start to melt away and admit what he had been feeling for so long made Puck feel glad that he was not the only one who missed the little girl they barely knew, but it confused him as to how it took this long for her to realize it. That day, they sat on his bed and simply let it all out, everything they felt about the baby and the adoption and the way things had been for the year since the little girl was born. They both apologized to one another too, realizing that they both did some things and said some things that ended up hurting the other person, and by the end of the day, they agreed to be friends again. Puck had been hoping they could maybe turn that friendship into a little more, but was kind of disappointed when Quinn went about the rest of the semester and into the break acting like they were simply acquaintances_.

He was even more shocked to hear Mr. Schue congratulating her, Santana and Britt on their scholarships to Ohio State for cheerleading earlier in the evening, as he figured she might have mentioned something like that at some point earlier in the semester. All he knew what that everyone else was going on to something bigger and better, and he wasn't. Sure he had gotten a few looks from some football scouts but nothing panned out. He also is not a complete dumbass, he knows he is fairly smart, but actually applying himself in class would make him look like a nerd and he didn't want to sound lame. So academic scholarships were out of the question, and by this time it was already too late to look into applying to other schools and he was sure his mother couldn't afford it unless he were to get some sort of financial aid. So he was just stuck here in Lima, probably working at Finn's step-dad Burt Hummel's car shop.

So he sat there, staring at his red plastic beer cup, thinking over how the rest of the club was going on to do amazing things with their futures and actually go places with their lives, while he was stuck here in Lima, Ohio destined to do nothing with his life. He wasn't going anywhere in life, or as they say 'once a delinquent, always a delinquent .' He knew he wasn't destined for greatness, he wasn't destined for anything, just a life here in Lima so he better start getting used to it, right?

He took a big swig of his beer, finishing off the remainder of the alcohol and staring into the bottom of the cup before crinkling the plastic in his hands and throwing it across the room in frustration. He knew why everyone moving on made him feel this way, he knew why it hurt so bad knowing this year was coming to an end and everyone was going their separate ways. It wasn't because he envied them. Yeah, he was jealous they were getting out of this town and seeing new places, but he wasn't envious of their paths in college. He knew they were all going where they belonged and where they would succeed. No, he was frustrated because after this year was over, he knew he was losing _her._ He was losing Quinn. She was going on to college where she would forget all of the drama that happened with her family, and all the other kids at school, and her pregnancy with Beth, and she would forget him too. That part killed him the most. He knew deep down she would never forget about Beth, but him? He was expendable.

She would meet all sorts of new guys in college, guys who were smart and funny and came from families who had the kind of money her family had and they would be compatible. She would fall in love and they would start their own family, and he would just be that bum she made a bad decision with one night in high school who never ended up going anywhere so it was a good thing she didn't end up with him. He was nothing.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

After sitting at the party for a little while longer, Puck decided he wanted to get out of there. He needed to go, it didn't matter where to, he just needed to leave. So he walked back into the kitchen where, judging from the volume of all of their voices and the slurring of their words, most everybody was having a jolly drunk time. He started saying his goodbyes, making up a story about how his mom had to take a night shift at the hospital last minute and he needed to go stay with his sister when people asked why he was leaving so soon, and made his way to the door. As he reached for the doorknob, he was stopped by a rather forceful hand grabbing his arm. Part of him was praying it was Quinn, but he knew it wasn't since he practically had the way her hands feel on him burned into his memory. He figured it was a drunk Berry or even Finn asking what was really going on, but when he turned around he was a little surprised to see that Santana had pried herself away from Britt and the party to come after him.

"What's the real reason you're leaving so soon, lame-ass?" Santana had lowered her drunk volume dial, but Puck knew she never had a censor even when she was sober so the 'lame-ass' comment was to be expected.

"No reason, I just don't feel like partying tonight." Puck replied, trying to sound as care-free as he could.

"It's about Quinn again, isn't it?"

"How about I make you a deal, Santana? Call me when you're sober tomorrow and we'll talk." Puck responded. He knew it was useless trying to talk someone when you were drunk, especially when that person was Santana. She would walk right in that other room and practically make an announcement that she knew the real reason Puck was being lame tonight.

"You know I can handle my liquor, Puckerman. I'm actually fairly sober in comparison to some of those jackasses in there. Have you seen the midget? Man-hands is the biggest shit-show of a drunk I have seen in like…ever." Santana had such a way with words, and Puck was pretty sure she also practically had a book of names reserved just for Rachel Berry. Yes the girl was obnoxious as hell, but she could sing, and Finn liked her, which meant he had to be nice to her. And it meant Finn wasn't going after Quinn anymore, not that it really mattered at this point, since Quinn apparently "just wanted to be friends."

"Fine, I'll put it this way. Schue made a good point tonight that we're all going different places after graduation, and it made me think about how I won't be able to see everyone as much as I do now. That's all, just feeling a little nostalgic is all. And if you tell anyone I said that Lopez, I will deny it."

"Yeah, but not all of us are all going in different directions. Some people are going together. Hell, five people will be in New York City alone, and Britts, me and Quinn are going to OSU together, so at least we're not all completely all over the place. We'll all keep in touch I'm sure. Well, probably not Berry cuz let's face it, I want to smack her every time she opens her mouth, and I'm not too fond of Artie either, but his girlfriend is coming with me to Ohio State instead of going to Rhode-fucking-Island with her "boyfriend."" as she puts the word in air-quotes. "Seriously, is Rhode Island even a state? Who the fuck would want to go there?"

"To each their own I guess." Puck replies, then looks down at his shoes while he rocks back on his heels. "I guess I just wish I could be in your shoes I guess." When Santana goes to look down at the shoes she is wearing, a puzzled look crossing her face, he quickly replies "Not literally. I would break my ankle in those and you couldn't pay me to ever put them on. I just mean, I wish I could go there with you guys, like at college and stuff."

At this, Santana smirks and leans closer to Puck, quickly glancing back at the kitchen where the rest of the club is before turning back to him, sneering "You just want to go where Quinn is going. I know you. You would stalk her to the ends of the Earth."

"I would." Puck replies evenly before letting his voice drip with sarcasm "But that is kind of hard to do when you're all living it up at OSU in Columbus, doing awesome college things and going to awesome college parties, while I'm stuck here in Lima doing what I do best, which is nothing. Nothing but do dumb shit and get trouble, like usual."

Santana ducks her head slightly at his tone, trying to think of a comeback before Puck beats her to it. "Hey, maybe in a few years I will make it that way! If I keep it up and continue down the path of raising hell like everyone expects so little of me to do, maybe I can request the prison up near Columbus! We could be neighbors, San!" Puck turns and walks out the door before Santana can respond to that.

He is half-way to his car when he hears her yelling at him down the driveway. "You know what your problem is, Puckerman? You are such a proud douchebag who would rather sit around acting all "woe-be-me" and accept the lame excuse for a life you think you'll end up having instead of doing something with it. Newsflash Puck, I know you want more, and I know you deserve more and can do better than that sorry excuse of future plan, so stop acting like a little girl, stop bitching and do something about it. It doesn't have to be that way unless you allow it to be."

"Fuck you, Satan." Puck replies, annoyed by the outburst from the feisty Latina, but slightly taken back at the message she gave him.

"Write that gem down, Puckerman. My advice is priceless. You can thank me later, Dick!" She yells before stomping back into the house as Puck gets into his truck and slams the door, starting the ignition. As he pulls away from the curb and heads down the street, he mulls over what Santana just said.

"I know you want more, and I know you deserve more and can do better than that sorry excuse of future plan, so stop acting like a little girl, stop bitching and do something about it. It doesn't have to be that way unless you allow it to be"

For being the biggest bitch Puck knows, Santana actually gives decent advice once in a while. Granted, he's still pissed, and knows that she is probably full of shit, but part of him starts to wonder what he could do instead of college. Although there are plenty of stories of people doing well for themselves in Lima, which God knows why the hell they decided to stay in this town, he realizes they all probably have college degrees or at least job training that makes them good at their work. He thinks about Burt Hummel and how he could go work at his shop, but Puck knows Burt has had a ton of training to get to be as good as he is at fixing cars. In addition, the man owns the car repair shop, so Burt is not just a mechanic, he's a business owner as well. Even his mom, who is a nurse, has a college degree and even more training after that to do what she does. She makes decent money doing what she does, and even though things have always been tight living off of the single mother's salary, she has still managed to keep a roof over his and his sister's heads and food on the table.

On his drive home, Puck realizes that, unfortunately, Santana was right. He needs to do something with himself. It won't just fall into his lap and he is wasting his life by settling for something he knows he doesn't want. He doesn't want to settle into some pointless job where he makes squat and wastes his nights sitting alone at a bar. He knows he doesn't want to be a Lima Loser. He knows that Quinn wouldn't even give him a second glance if he became that person. He needed to find something he was good at, something he could be proud of doing and something he could do well at. He wanted to find something that would make her proud too, something that would impress Quinn enough to give him a shot.

He may not be one of those fancy college guys she was going to meet when she went to school, but he sure as hell wasn't going to be a Lima Loser either...especially whenever she came home over weekends or breaks. The question was no longer "can I do it", no Puck's new mission was to find what he could do instead.

* * *

><p>Three Weeks Later<p>

Finally, after waiting for what seemed to be forever, Puck turned 18. He was pumped he could finally buy his own porn and cigarettes, if he decided to take up smoking, and happy that he could consider himself an 'adult' even if he didn't completely act like one all the time. He was in the middle of brainstorming what he was going to need for the party he intended throwing in honor of this momentous occasion when his mother came into the kitchen and patted him on the shoulder.

"Happy Birthday, Noah. The big 1-8! Do you have any special plans with your friends?" his mother asked, arching a brow at him as she spoke.

"Nah, nothing special. I may go to a get-together one of the guys on the team is having this weekend, but other than that, no." Puck claimed, as he hoped his mom wouldn't notice the scheming he was attempting to do.

"Well, I tell you what, I don't have to work tonight, and your sister will be home right after school, so why don't we go out for dinner tonight for your birthday. Oh speaking of which, have you gone down to the post office and registered to vote or registered for the selective service yet?" His mom responded, looking genuinely interested in his answer.

"Um, dinner sounds good to me. And that would be a no on the post office. I could care less about the whole voting thing and I don't even know what the selective service thing is, but it doesn't sound good, so no thanks." Puck replied, trying not to sound too sarcastic.

"Noah Puckerman, you may not care about voting now, but it is your civic duty to vote. If you don't vote, you can't complain about the government, and believe me, the last 20 years have given U.S. citizens plenty to complain about regarding the government. Nothing can get done unless you vote. And the selective service is where you register for the military draft, but it's very unlikely you will get called in the draft. They just make all guys over 18 do it."

"Are you shitting me? The military draft, as in the shit they pulled in Vietnam? Fuck no, not signing up for that." Puck stood up from his chair and walked to the sink getting himself a glass of water.

"Wow, I am so glad you are actually paying attention in your history class at least. And it's only been implemented once, during Vietnam. They will probably never do it again unless it's like World War III or something. Oh, and just so you know, everybody, both men and women, are required to register for military service in Israel. And that's not even a draft, that's just required military service for everybody for a few years during their lives. Now that's being a good Jew and protecting your country." Puck's mom noted, before raising her eyebrows at him and sipping her coffee. "Think about it, Noah. And we'll stop by the post office so you can register to vote on our way out to dinner" she states before turning around and walking back down the hallway toward her bedroom.

Oh she would pull the religion card, he thought as he scowled while finishing his water. Fine. If she wanted to play that game, he would go register for the damn thing. He could handle people yelling at him telling him what a fuck up he was, but he couldn't handle his mom's disappointment. It was much harder to swallow when she simply looked at him and told him she was disappointed, so he figured he would avoid that all together and just register for the damn thing. He would probably never get called, and he didn't actually have to go vote or anything, but she would be happy he signed up to do so or whatever…. Either way, he was going to have to do it this afternoon, or she probably wouldn't take him to dinner. And Breadstix was sounding pretty good just now.

Puck steps up to the window at the post office and is greeted by an older man. Puck informs the man that he just turned 18 and he is there to register to vote and to register for the selective service. The old man behind the counter smiles and thanks him for coming in and taking a step towards fulfilling his civic duty. What is with everyone and their 'civic duty' crap today, Puck thought. He fills out the forms and returns them to the man at the window.

Puck goes to leave, but turns back quickly and asks the man at the window "So, how often do they use this whole selective service thing. Like will the military be knocking on my door any day now or something?"

The man looks at him and releases a small chuckle "No, they won't come pounding down your door to get you. Although, being a former Army man myself, I can't say the military treated me poorly while I was in there. I got to travel around the world, see all sorts of stuff I never dreamed I would, they gave me all sorts of useful job and survival training and they helped me pay for my school when I got out. I learned a lot of stuff while I was in the Army." The man sees Puck frown slightly so he quickly adds "And it was also a perk that I got to learn how to shoot several different guns and survive in some of the harshest conditions. I even learned how to make things explode, and the Army was ok with me doing it too!"

"Hang on there. You said they taught you how to blow stuff up? And they were ok with it?" Puck asked, an incredulous look on his face.

"Heck son, they didn't just let me do it, they paid me to blow stuff up, as you put it. It was a lot of hard work and training, but at the end of the day, I made lots of good friends and I knew I was doing a job I enjoyed and I was defending my country while doing it. Now there is something to be proud of." The man replies, pride beaming from his eyes.

"You had me at explosions." Puck joked, as he thanked the man and walked out the door towards the car where his mom and sister were waiting. As they drove toward the restaurant, Puck couldn't help but think of all the cool stuff the guy at the post office said he got to do in the Army. He got to travel the world and see new places outside of Lima, Ohio. He said they gave him job training and gave him money for college afterwards. They taught the man how to shoot guns, and the best part was that the Army let him blow stuff up! And paid him to do it! That was like every delinquent's dream!

He remembered back to his little trip to juvie after the ATM incident, and how the judge threatened him with real-jail or mandatory military service if he was ever back in front of the judge for any other crime, but from the way the man put it, military service didn't sound nearly as bad as jail did.

Was he seriously considering the military as an option? Sure there was going to be some dick drill sergeant that was going to yell at him, but people had always yelled at him and it was in one ear and out the other. And they couldn't be much worse than Coach Bieste right? They would at least be about the same size and all. He could still be a badass in the Army too. Hell, he could be an even bigger badass in the Army, and after all the push-ups he was going to have to do, his guns were going to be looking awesome when he was done.

So that was settled, he was going to look into it and call a recruiter for more information tomorrow. Once at the restaurant, the family sat down and enjoyed dinner together. As soon as they finish their dinner and they arrive home, Puck goes straight up to his room and boots up his laptop. He spends hours researching all there is to know about the Army, how to sign up, what that obligation entails, and even learns a whole bunch of cool stuff about what he can do in the Army. He is even interested in the history of the Army and all the things they have done throughout the ages. Wow, some of these dudes are certifiable badasses! Puck thinks to himself. I can't believe this is what some people get paid to do!

-x-x-x-x-x-

Puck decides to wait a little while before going and talking to a recruiter. He feels it's the responsible thing to do instead of rushing right into things. After about three weeks and tons of research later, he still has not changed his mind, and he heads to talk to the recruiter stationed in Lima that afternoon after school.

He comes home that afternoon feeling like a new man with a new mission. He just spoke with the local recruiter for about 2 hours, absorbing as much information as he possibly could about what he could do for the Army and what the Army could provide for him. He realizes it's gonna be a tough job, but after hearing all the things he could do and see while in the Army, he would be crazy to overlook this opportunity. He wasn't getting out of Lima either if he chose not to do it, and hell, his first commitment was only 4 years. While those other glee kids were busy sitting through boring classes or lectures and getting drunk on the weekends, he would be learning stuff he wanted to learn (like how to blow stuff up more effectively than before) and getting paid to do it. And the uniforms were pretty badass too… chicks dig the uniforms. His mind was set. He was going to enlist in the Army.

He should probably tell his mom of his decision at some point though. She probably would kick his ass if he didn't and just went and signed up. So that night, he decided to take his family out to dinner to let them know of his decision. Once his family was seated at their table and gave the waitress their orders, he turned to his mom, reached out and grabbed her hands and held them between his across the table.

"Mom, there is something I need to talk to you about." Puck said, trying to remain calm, even though he was somewhat excited on the inside.

His mother's eyes widened as she tried to swallow the liquid of the drink she just took, "Oh God Noah, please tell me you didn't get another girl pregnant. As much as I don't want to know about that part of your life, I will buy you a lifetime supply of condoms so long as you don't get another girl pregnant in high school. Although, Quinn was a nice girl. I did like her. But still, you're only a teenager!"

Puck scrunched up his brow in confusion at his mom before letting out a hearty laugh. "Oh hell no! I'm glad you like Quinn, I do too, but believe me I learned my lesson after that one. No babies for this guy for a long while."

"Oh good, sorry to jump to conclusions but hey, can you blame me? So what did you want to tell me?" His mom asked, looking very relieved and much more relaxed.

"Well mom, I've thought about it a little bit, and I have decided I'm joining the Army."

His mom's eyes got big again as she stared at him for what seemed to be about a minute before speaking again. "Noah, the Army? Have you given this any thought? That's a big commitment and it's a very dangerous job. If you are sent to war, people do shoot at you and try to kill you for real."

Puck nodded, agreeing with her concern. "I understand Mom, I do. And I have looked into it a lot lately and I've done plenty of research. But I want to get out of this town for a while. I wanna actually do something with my life instead of finding whatever random jobs I can here and living off of you for the next 10 years. All the other kids I know are talking about where they're going to college, and I can't say the same thing."

Puck sees his mom look down, hiding her eyes. "Noah, you know I would love to send you to college, it's just a little hard financially right now."

Puck quickly responds, "I know Mom, and I understand, believe me I do. I don't want to be a burden on you like that, but I also know that if I stay here and work at whatever job will hire a high school grad with no college education, I will continue to be a burden on you for a while since I won't make squat. The man at the post office was telling me all the stuff the Army helped him do and one of the things was that they gave him money for college for when he got out of the military. They gave him all sorts of training and he got to travel all over the world. But the thing that got me was that he was proud of what he did for the Army. He was proud of his job and his country, and I want to be proud of what I do for once. I want to make my family proud, and I want to make Quinn proud, and Beth proud if I ever get to meet her. I want to do something that matters, and I think this may be the way I can do it. I refuse to end up being the deadbeat dad is. Please, just consider it Ma." Puck meets his mothers gaze, pleading with her to consider his proposition.

"Noah, despite all of the things you have done in your life, I do trust your decision on this one. And now that you are 18, you are an adult and can make those decisions for yourself. I will support you in whatever you decide, but please do me a favor and research it a little more carefully, just so you know what you're getting yourself into." Puck smiles and tells his mom he will before his mom looks at him, and squeezes his hand "And Noah, I am always proud of you. Just remember that." His mom finishes, giving him a soft smile that almost makes him tear up.

"Thanks Mom" he says, just as the waitress returns with their food.

No, Noah Puckerman will not be a Lima Loser. Noah Puckerman is going to be a proud soldier in the United States Army.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_Ok, so apparently I forgot to mention that I don't own Glee. If I did, I wouldnt be going to law school and wouldnt be buried in debt until im probably 50. Also, I know that this chapter is titled Chapter 3 while the document has this being chapter 2...yes, I screwed up on that. The first two chapters can be found on the first page while chapter 3 starts on this one. Sorry for the confusion._

_Additionally, I realize that there is some choice language in here and I only have the rating set for 'T' when it maybe should be 'M'. However, the story will get to be an 'M' at some point... but until then, I feel its ok at a 'T'. If you can find me a teenage boy who doesn't drop the 'F-Bomb' quite often, I'll bump it up to an "M" for language purposes. Oh, and thanks for the reviews :)_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

_Second week of February – Senior Year_

Come Monday morning, Puck walked though the doors at McKinley High School feeling like a new man. The previous Friday he had paid a visit to his recruiter's office and filled out all of the necessary paper work and signed where he needed to along the dotted line and he was officially enlisted in the U.S. Army… pending his graduation from high school that is. He knew he was graduating, and while he didn't have the best grades, he was convinced Figgins would do anything to make sure he got Puck the hell out of there so he would stop causing so much trouble.

As soon as he made it to his locker, his buddy Finn joins him. "Puck, where have you been all weekend? And why are you looking so damned happy this week? Shouldn't you be skulking like the rest of the male population the week before Valentine's Day?"

"First of all Hudson, you probably wouldn't care what I was doing this weekend since Rachel keeps such a short leash on you. I would be surprised if she even lets you out of her sight on weekends." Puck grabs his books he'll need for his next class and turns to start walking down the hall with Finn, "And besides, I could give a damn about Valentine's Day. Fucking Hallmark conspiracy."

"Then why do you look so, I don't know, happy? Excited even? These past few weeks you've been like Captain Doom and Gloom and all of a sudden you're back to normal. Everything alright?" Finn asks, looking genuinely interested.

"Everything is fine, Finny. In fact, everything is great!" Puck explains, smirking at Finn as the taller boy looks at him, brows furrowed with confusion.

"Would you mind explaining, cuz I sure as hell could use a little of whatever you're on right now. Besides Rachel, and don't even think of giving me that look," Finn says, looking at Puck who does his best to hide the grimace appearing on his face at the mention of Rachel, "I don't have a lot going for me right now. All the schools that have been looking at me to come play QB for them are all either super-small private schools where the scholarship barely covers books, or they have dropped me completely after seeing my grades." After speaking to a few coaches in the past few weeks, Finn has come to the conclusion that grades do matter to college coaches, and that good looks and a cannon for an arm only go so far before other qualities are needed to get him into the schools he was looking at.

"Dude, I'm sorry. Those schools are all tools who don't know what they're missing out on. But I will say that I'm not on anything right now. My future employer would frown upon that." Puck states with a smirk as he throws a look over his shoulder at Finn who had stopped in the middle of the hallway at the words "future employer."

Finn practically runs to catch up to Puck, glancing over at him before saying "Future employer? You got a job already? Where and do they have any openings?"

Puck stops in front of the door leading into Mr. Schue's Spanish class. He glances at Finn briefly before smiling to himself and answering "Of course they have openings. They always have openings." Finn looks like an excited puppy at this before Puck continues, "Finn, I made a big decision this past week. I decided to get the hell out of Lima, and after looking into it quite a bit, I decided to join the Army." With that, Puck turns on his heel and causally walks into the classroom, leaving his confession to Finn hanging in the air as Finn is left stunned out in the hallway.

After the minor shock wears off, Finn follows Puck into the classroom, taking a seat next to him. "Are you serious Puck? The Army?"

"Dead serious man. In fact, I signed all of my papers and everything last Friday. I spent the weekend going through all the information and crap the recruiter gave me about reporting to boot-camp and everything. Not gonna lie Finn, I'm kinda excited." Puck states, looking over at his friend before turning his focus back up to Mr. Schue.

"Wait, when did you do this? You can't be serious Puck? You already signed up and everything?" The questions come spewing out of Finn's mouth, barely making sense. "Why? Wait, when do you leave?"

Puck leans over towards Finn before answering in hushed tones. "First of all Hudson, calm the fuck down. My mom took this better than you are. And second, I got the idea from this old dude at the post office when I was there one day. I looked into it a lot over the past month and it will help me get out of here and see the world. It's a pretty badass job." Puck sneaks a glance over at Quinn sitting in the second row before continuing "I want to be able to do something that matters with my life. I refuse to be a Lima Loser."

"Oh, now wait a second! For the love of God, please tell me you're not just doing this to impress Quinn. This is a big decision! You can't just rush into something like this over a girl!" Finn exclaims, causing a few people around them to turn and stare.

"Gentlemen" Mr. Schue exclaims, looking over at them, "If you would please be so kind as to step out in the hall and finish your discussion before you come back into class, we would all appreciate the lack of disruption." He signals for the boys to exit the room. They both stand and grab their books before heading out into the hallway.

"As much as I don't mind ditching," Puck begins "thanks for making us look like jackasses in front of the whole class."

"You didn't answer my question." Finn states before staring Puck down. "Tell me this has nothing to do with Quinn."

"Holy shit Finn, no it doesn't ok? It has nothing to do with her, really. Although I'm hoping the uniform and muscles may persuade her to give Puckasaurus Rex another go." He says with a smirk before deciding to get serious "I got to thinking about how everyone else was doing stuff after we left school and it got to me that pretty much everyone else was going on to college, yes including Quinn, and that I would be left here. Stuck in Lima. I want more from life than this town. Why can't you just be my friend and fucking support me instead of grilling me about my decision-making."

Finn looks down at his shoes before responding "Yeah, you're right. I get where you're coming from and I wanted to get out too, but I don't know if that's going to happen for me now."

"You know, a wise bitch named Santana once told me that your future doesn't have to be that way, so instead of moping about it, do something to change it." Puck looks at him before throwing his arm around his buddy's shoulders and starting down the hallway. "So I know you're dad was in the service, but have you ever given the Army a thought?"

Finn looks back over at his friend before answering "No, not really. I figured I'd just play football forever."

Puck laughs and responds "Let me tell you something, the Army lets you be a badass and blow stuff up…and they pay you for it!" before he removes his arm and lightly punches his friend in the arm.

The two boys spend the next three class periods in the library of all places, looking stuff about the Army up online while Puck explains all of the other benefits and incentives the Army offered him. After skipping classes for the past few hours, Finn tells Puck that he should get going and maybe attend a few classes that day or else Rachel will freak. Puck shakes his friend's hand before asking him to keep Puck's news to himself just for a little while longer. He wants to be the one to figure out a way to tell people of his decision.

The day flew by and it was time for glee practice. Puck was always the last one to walk through the door, but today he was surprised he beat Mr. Schue, as the teacher was nowhere in sight. Puck chuckled to himself, hoping he was off somewhere helping Ms. Pillsbury with her "intimacy issues." He gave Mr. Schue a mental high-five for that one.

As he walked toward the risers, he was met by a very angry Rachel Berry, who proceeded to slap him across the face. "How dare you get my boyfriend to skip all of his morning classes with you so you could fill his head with all of these scary ideas of joining the Army!" Rachel practically screamed at him, which got the attention of the rest of the glee-clubbers. They all knew she was overdramatic but the last 3 words caught all of their attention.

Puck looked around the room at all of their stares until he found the sheepish looking Finn staring back at him with an apologetic look on his face. "Geeze, thanks a lot Hudson. I thought I asked you to keep it to yourself for a while."

"Sorry man, I just got to thinking about it and it kinda just came out over lunch today." Finn explained.

Puck looked back at Rachel, who was still fuming, but before he could say anything to her she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "If you get sent to war, please don't die. I don't think I could handle that." Puck patted her lightly on the back before peeling her off of him and telling her he would be too busy kicking ass and taking names to die before hearing an all too familiar voice speak out.

"Wait! Sent to war? What is going on here?" Quinn exclaimed, her eyes boring into Puck.

Mr. Schue chooses that moment to walk in, breaking the tension in the air. "Woah there. Why does everyone look so serious? I've got a feeling I just walked in on something." Puck decides this time is as good as any to tell everyone as the cat is practically out of the bag at this point.

He steps to the middle of the room, clasping his hands in front of himself before looking up at Mr. Schue. "I have something to say to everyone if that's ok?" Mr. Schue nods and tells him to go ahead.

Puck glances at his shoes before straightening up and looking at everyone while he speaks. "I know most, if not all of you are planning on heading to college next year and what not, and pretty much everyone knew I wasn't. I was probably going to stay here and work somewhere and maybe go to community college if I got around to it. Well, I decided to do something a bit different. I want to make a difference and do something I can be proud of. So last week I joined the U.S. Army."

Puck could hear a collective gasp in the room and was met with a few confused looks before Mr. Schue came up to him and patted him on the back. "Noah, I'm really proud of you and I wish you the best with your future. That is quite the decision and I want you to keep yourself safe, you hear me?" Puck nods at the man before shaking his hand.

A few other members of the glee club come up to him and offer him their congratulations and best wishes while asking him when he was leaving and what he would be doing. Santana pats him on the back and tells him to try not to shoot his own foot off. He knows that's her form of congratulations, but he can't help tease her and tell her he would rather shoot himself in the foot than hang out with her anymore. She smirks at him and walks off to take her seat. He looks around at the people coming up and talking to him when he notices someone is missing. He looks over Mike's shoulder and sees Quinn standing by the drums staring at him, completely unmoved from the spot she was when he delivered his news.

He begins to move away from the crowd toward her when Mr. Schue clears his throat and tells them that while they're all excited for Puck, it is time for rehearsal so they all need to take their seats. They go to sit down and Puck looks over to where Quinn took a seat. She stares straight ahead, never once looking back at him.

At the end of rehearsal, he grabs his bag and turns to where she sitting only to find an empty chair. He looks around the room for her then hustles out the door and down the hallway, looking for her and wanting to find her to see what's going on with her. He throws open the doors leading out to the parking lot just in time to see Quinn's little red VW Bug pulling out of her parking space and tearing off down the street.

Quinn can't believe what she just heard before glee practice. _Was he really joining the Army? I think that's what he said. What if he leaves and never comes back? What if he gets sent to war and is taken as a prisoner or worse, killed? _She was barely able to make it through practice without looking at him, and once it was over she needed to get out of there. She practically ran out of the building and managed to get into her car and take off before the tears that had been pricking at her eyes all afternoon threatened to spill and reveal how she really felt about his decision. She had only managed to pull out of her parking spot and drive out of the lot before she succumbed to waves of emotion going through her at that moment. And for the entire 15 minute ride home and after, while she sat in her room, the tears flowed.

Puck knew something was up with Quinn but he figured he would wait it out for a while before checking to see what was going on with her. She left so abruptly after practice and practically peeled out of the lot, so he wanted to make sure she was ok. He wasn't sure if it was something he said or did, but he couldn't shake the icy look she had given him when he looked over at her after delivering his news this afternoon. He decided to wait until later that evening, when he knew she had some time to calm down.

-x-x-x-x-x-

He wasn't sure exactly what to say to her, and after mulling it over in his head for a while, her reaction to him joining started to make him somewhat angry. She should be even semi-happy for me, he thought. At least pretend like she was happy for him. He had always tried to be supportive of her, through the pregnancy and with Beth, and even behind the scenes when she didn't know about it, like threatening all of the other football and hockey players with extreme pain if they hassled his baby mama. She was such a mystery to him and her emotions and attitude toward him lately has practically been a roller-coaster ride, leaving him stuck as to what to say to her.

He finally decided on what to text her, and after typing in "What the hell is going on with you, Q? What's up?" in his message, he was moving his finger toward the send key when a new incoming message came through. It was from Quinn.

"The Army, Puck? Really? Like you're thinking of joining?"

Puck stared at the screen before typing in his response. "Yes the Army, and no I'm not still thinking of joining… already signed my life away ;)"

It took all of twenty seconds for Quinn to respond "Why?" Puck simply responded "Why not?" He didn't want to get into the specifics of why with her. The list was long and she couldn't actually be interested…could she?

Quinn text him back "No, seriously why?" Puck was getting a bit frustrated with this as he had already explained his reasoning to the glee club so he wrote her back "I already told everyone. I'm not going to college, I wanna get outta here, and this is one of the only options I see. I can do good. Just be happy for me." He threw that last line in there hoping to get a reaction out of her.

Instead, she wrote back "Do you get to finish the year at least?" He responded "Ya, I leave for boot-camp mid-July. I'm there til December."

"Where is boot-camp at? Ohio somewhere? There's the training base up north near Lake Erie." Wow, he was surprised she knew that Camp Perry was up north. He was secretly hoping that was where he would get sent for Explosives Ordnance School once he was through with basic training but he knew the chances were small. He wrote back "Nah, Ft. Benning, Georgia for basic training. Then hopefully technical school in Ohio or Virginia. I hope they accept me into the Rangers though and that's in like 3 different states, so we'll see where I end up."

Quinn responds back almost immediately "Ranger school? That's like really dangerous. What if they send you overseas and you have to go to war?" He thought the answer was obvious but he went ahead and wrote her back "Then I have to go to war, Q. It's my duty and my job. It's a tough life but somebody's gotta do it. Might as well be me."

He is confused by all of the questions she has all of a sudden, as she practically ran away from him today at school before he could speak to her. So he quickly typed another message to her before she could respond. "Why the 20 questions all of a sudden, Q? You could have asked me this afternoon. Instead, you ran."

Puck held his breath, waiting for her reply. After what seemed like forever, she finally responded: "Because I do care about you. I'm scared for you."

All he could think of for the rest of the night was how she admitted she cared for him, and right now, that's all he needed.

In a pink and purple bedroom across town, Quinn finished typing her message to Puck before gently setting her phone down on her nightstand and sliding under the covers. She was still stunned by his revelation but after she had cried as much as she possibly could, she had to know why he was doing this, why he was leaving her. She knew he wanted something else for himself and she was happy he was finally doing something he seemed to be excited about that was actually legal, but she couldn't help the twisting in her stomach she felt when she thought about him in the military.

She knew she still cared about him, and she went ahead and swallowed her pride and told him so just now. Who knows if he still cared about her though, they both had messed up in the past and she was scared she had ruined whatever it was they had after the way she acted last year. She couldn't figure out why his decision had made her feel this… hurt or uncomfortable. It was a strange feeling but she just couldn't make it go away.

She just cared about him so damn much and she was so scared she was losing him. She knew she probably wouldn't see him after this summer once they all graduated and he went on to be a soldier. She was scared for him and worried what the future might bring for him but she knew she would always worry about him and whether he was safe, and it was killing her that she may never know where he was or how he was doing after this year.

She felt him slipping away slowly and knew she was being selfish by secretly wishing he would stay here in Ohio and wait for her while she was at school, but she knows that dream just wasn't in the cards anymore. While she wasn't able to admit to him that she still loved him and needed him just yet, she knew she would do anything or give anything to make him see she still cared and wanted him to be with her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 4**

_June_

The past four months at McKinley High seemed to fly by in a blur as the first week of June found the glee club in the choir room rehearsing for their last performance as a group, though this time it was not for any kind of trophy or competition. They were scheduled to perform in front of everybody at graduation, and once they were finished, they would walk across that stage, pick up their diplomas and be free of high school forever.

While they all had been excited at the prospect of moving on and leaving this place, the mood inside the choir room had been quite somber as of late, as the reality that they were truly at the end of this experience finally started to sink in. They had all had come together and faced adversity with one another and had become talented performers over the years, and some had even fallen in and out of love with each other too. But most importantly they all became great friends with one another and the idea of no longer seeing one another was hard to swallow. It was true that some people got along with better with one another than others but all in all, they were a team or a family if you will, and they would miss each other when they were gone.

The past several months had brought along plenty of excitement, stress, anxiety, celebration, disappointment, laughter and tears for everyone. New Directions had dominated Regionals again this year, much to Sue Sylvester's chagrin as she continued to coach Aural Intensity, but Quinn, Santana, and Britt had lead her Cheerios to another national title, so she felt somewhat validated. Mr. Schue had finally gotten the nerve and asked Ms. Pillsbury to marry him. After her divorce from Carl the Dentist, they had begun seeing each other regularly, so it was a pleasant surprise when they finally made it official.

New Directions ended up taking second at Nationals, placing behind a team from a school in California that Puck likened to that of an army of robots. They had a good sound and they had appeared on the Oprah show the previous year, but Puck and the rest of the glee club thought they just lacked the same heart New Directions had. They were like Vocal Adrenalin in the sense that they could go through the steps and could sing well, but Puck thought they sucked and that New Directions got robbed. However, Mr. Schue reminded them that there was something to be said about the fact that 13 members from a small school in Ohio rivaled that of a 40 person glee club from California. Since Nationals had taken place in Los Angeles this year, Puck thought they had cheated since they had home-turf advantage. However, he and the rest of the group were just excited to go to California and visit the beach as several people had never seen the ocean before. It was an awesome trip, and Puck had to admit that while seeing Quinn and some of the other girls in their bikinis was pretty hot, he enjoyed getting out of Lima and seeing someplace new the best.

However, some of the biggest drama and excitement had nothing to do with competition or performances, but in the personal lives of the glee members. Artie had actually met and fell for somebody at an orientation visit to the school he would attend in the fall and ended up breaking things off with Britt, who was confused at first but ended up taking comfort in the fact that Santana was there for her when it happened. She and Santana now had no qualms about being with one another and had been exclusive for the past month. Quinn was a bit nervous about the pairing as she and the two of them were set to share a campus apartment next year at OSU, so she was hoping and praying nothing went wrong between them to make their living arrangement awkward for everyone.

Finn had also made a huge decision as well regarding his future. After talking it over with Burt Hummel and doing more research, he decided to follow in Puck's footsteps and join the Army. His mother had been rather reluctant to accept his decision, as she still blamed the Army for what happened to Finn's father in the Gulf War, but after long discussions with Burt and Finn, and plenty of hugs and tears, she finally gave her son her blessing to join the Army.

Rachel, on the other hand, was less forgiving, having ignored Finn for a week solid after he made his decision, and then continued to avoid the topic for another month after that every time he tried to bring it up. She also had decided to take her frustration and anger out on Puck, slapping him in the face out of the blue on more than one occasion, then turning around and practically running off with tears streaming down her face. At first Puck was pissed, but after the second time, Tina and Mercedes walked up to him and explained how Rachel was probably upset that she couldn't control the situation with Finn and she was scared for him so she was taking it out on Puck.

He understood where she was coming from, seeing as how Quinn avoided the topic with him for about a month after he had told everyone he was joining and she had texted later that night telling him she still cared about him but was scared for him. He saw where Berry was coming from, but that didn't mean he had to put up with her slapping him anymore. The fourth time she tried to do it, he caught her wrist in mid-air and slowly lowered it to her side, before telling her it would all be alright and that it would be better if she and Finn talked about it and she supported his decision. So she did, and while she still wasn't thrilled with this idea, she knew she loved him and she needed to support him. If anything, this rough patch actually brought the couple closer together, and they ended up being voted "Cutest Couple" in the yearbook.

Quinn, on the other hand, was still an enigma to Puck. One day she would be talking to him about something random or asking him questions about how their baseball season was going and the next day she would be the Ice Queen again, barely acknowledging he was there. She was so hot and cold toward Puck, he was convinced she was inspiration behind the Katy Perry song. Gradually, throughout the semester, she started to come around and would offer him a warm smile when he passed by or a light squeeze on the arm while she was talking to him. Nothing that she did was too flirtatious or overt to suggest anything beyond friendship, but every time she looked at him with those heart-stopping hazel eyes, he melted.

He felt like such a chick when he was around her. Every room he walked into, he would scan and look for her, trying to find a seat near her so they could pass notes. They got into a routine of texting one another funny jokes or asking about what they had for homework, even when they both knew Puck wouldn't do it and he was just trying to get a response back from her. They were even paired up as dance partners for nationals, and holding her body close to his, smelling her shampoo and hearing her breathy voice was enough to make Puck want to explode every time they rehearsed or performed. He wanted her so badly and missed those tender "coupley" moments they used to have once in a while when she was still pregnant but he was always so nervous to say or do anything about it now as to not scare her off or screw anything up again. He wanted her however she would let him take her, and if that meant keeping his true feelings for her to himself for a while, he would.

Puck looked around the choir room at everyone gathered around the piano while he and Artie strummed their guitars to the chorus of the song they would be performing at graduation. He couldn't help but smile when he caught Quinn's eye, and the rose-colored blush that crept up her cheeks while she glanced down at her shoes was enough of a sign to him that she had been thinking about him too before she turned her attention back to Mr. Schue. He would miss glee club, standing around and singing as a group, but most of all, he thought he would miss moments like this, where they could be standing in a room full of people and still feel like they were the only ones there when he looked into her eyes.

Realizing this was their last day of group rehearsal before graduation gave Quinn a very bittersweet feeling when she walked in that afternoon. Over the past few years, these people had not only driven her absolutely crazy but had also taken her in and comforted her in her times of need. She had dated three of the boys in this room, fallen in love with two of them, and if she was honest with herself, only had fallen out of love with one of them. Now, standing around the piano rehearsing their song for graduation, she caught herself sneaking glances at the boy who still held her heart and made her knees weak when he smiled.

She glanced back up at Puck during the chorus to find him strumming away at his guitar, and looking right back at her, his eyes locked with hers before offering her a small smile. Her heart fluttered a bit and she got a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach as he looked at her, seeing that same smile being projected through those warm chocolate eyes. She knew she was busted now that he caught her staring and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, so she looked down at her shoes and continued to sing, hoping he didn't notice her blush. She finally composed herself and looked back up at Mr. Schue once the song was over, trying to listen to the directions he was giving them while fighting the urge to look back over at Puck.

She knew she was fighting a losing battle with her emotions toward him, and one day she knew she needed to come clean to him about her feelings. She just didn't know when or if she could, seeing as how he was leaving soon. She wondered if he could change his mind, if she could convince him to stay and be with her. She knew he was stubborn and he had pretty much said he had his mind made up on the Army, but even though their conversations, texts and even slight touches lately had been innocent and friendly enough, she couldn't help but smile when she heard his voice or shiver at the feel of his touch. She wanted him so badly that she would do anything to convince him to be hers.

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><p><em>Graduation<em>

The big day had arrived and the gang gathered in the choir room to prepare to head out to the football field where they were holding the ceremony and take their places. People greeted one another as they walked through the doors carrying their deep red caps and gowns. They all looked very nice, the boys dressed in nice slacks and button-downs with ties while the girls all wore pretty sundresses.

Puck didn't understand why there was a dress code if they were going to cover themselves up with the gowns anyway. He hated the fact that he had to wear a tie, but his mom told him to get over it since he wasn't the only one who had to do it. She also had reminded him that, other than their camouflage BDUs, all of the Army uniforms required soldiers to wear a tie. He had given up on that point this morning when he left the house.

It also helped when Quinn walked over in her white, flowing sundress and pulled on his tie, telling him it was crooked and she would help fix it for him. The feel of her pulling on his tie was enough to get his heart pumping, especially with her that close to him. When she had finished adjusting his tie and placed her hands on his chest, he felt like he was on fire and could have sworn she left burn marks from where her hands were. He was hoping there was some sort of breeze outside today, because he could definitely use the cool-down.

After they had all put their gowns on, some of the girls got their cameras out and started snapping pics of everyone while a few of the boys did the same with their camera phones. They were goofing around, taking silly pictures and posing with one another while they waited, but that all came to an end when Mr. Schue and Ms. P walked in the door to take them down to the field. Mr. Schue asked them to all gather around for one last announcement before they would walk out and perform for one last time.

"Three years ago when I came back to McKinley and saw that the glee club program had gone by the wayside, it was my dream to restore it to the way it was when I used to perform here." Mr. Schue paused briefly before continuing, "But after having you all for that first year, I knew that dream would be impossible to achieve." The glee club all looked around at each other, confused as to what he was getting at before he said "My dream of bringing the glee club back to how it was when I was here was impossible, because I realized that you all had something special, something so unique and different than I had when I was performing. You all are special and unique and you each brought so much talent, passion, desire, and love to this club that there is no way the glee club I performed in at McKinley could ever rival the bond you all have created here." A few of the girls began to tear up and a few of the guys glanced at their shoes, trying to hold it in while Mr. Schue continued, his eyes watering and voice cracking slightly.

"There are simply no words to express how proud of all of you I am. I am so honored to have been a part of your lives and to watch you grow from kids who thrived off of drama and general mistrust of one another to a group of young adults ready to conquer the world. I have been privileged to watch many of you come into your own over the years, truly accepting your talents and becoming your own individuals," Mr. Schue said, glancing at Tina, Mercedes, Artie and Mike. He looked over at Lauren and Sam before saying "I have been lucky enough to have a few new people come in and contribute so much to club as well, helping propel our talents and group personality to new levels. I have seen both the cruelty you have endured and the grace in which some have handled coming into their own, and discovering who they are and who they love," he says looking at Kurt, before glancing over at Santana and Brittney. "I have witnessed individuals grow up at a much quicker rate than I would have ever been capable of doing and even given another human being life in the process, a challenge and a feat that originally threatened to tear us apart, but ended up strengthening our group bonds as we all found we could lean on each other for support," he stated simply, looking at Quinn and Puck before turning toward Finn and Rachel. "And I have seen two people from opposite sides of the social spectrum join together and help turn a bunch of once-misfit kids into a team of highly motivated, talented and gifted individuals. You two have helped lead the way, and even taught me a thing or two about the trials and tribulations of love in the process," he adds, squeezing Ms. P's hand. "Now, I want you to know that I love you all and will always be here for you, no matter what. So let's head down to that field, and show them what we've got, one last time!"

Everyone in the group smiled, before the guys turn and shake one another's hands, bringing each other in for a 'man-hug' before releasing and moving on. The girls all hug and help wipe the tear-streaked mascara out from under their eyes as they savor the moment. Less than 5 minutes later, the group walks down the sidewalk and takes their places by the stage. Principal Figgins gives his brief yet awkward graduation speech and Sue offers a rather un-inspiring speech herself about how "these mouthbreather's don't deserve to graduate." The valedictorian then gets up and offers her speech and as she finishes, she introduces the group and it is time for them to perform.

Each member of New Directions climbs up on the stage, and Puck and Artie take their places with their guitars before beginning to play "Here's to the Night" by Eve 6. Puck was glad that Quinn had decided to stand next to him as he sat on the stool to play but he wasn't expecting to feel her hand on his shoulder as they sang the final chorus. He knew the part of the song they were at and he hoped he could keep it together the rest of the ceremony, as the only thing he wanted to do was pick her up and hold her in his arms. He wanted to hold on to whatever moments they had left together, but he had to finish the song so he focused on the feel of the strings against his fingers, letting the words flow freely from memory.

_All my time is frozen in motion _

_Can't I stay for an hour or two or more_

_Don't let me let you go._

_Don't let me let you go…_

Quinn looked down at Puck as she sang, and couldn't help the twinge of sadness as she sung the last refrain, tears pricking at her eyes. She wanted this moment to last, and like the song suggested, she didn't want to let herself let him go. She blinked back her tears and held onto the hope they could enjoy what little time they may have together this summer before he would leave for good. She took a deep breath and finished out the song.

_Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well_

_Here's to the nights we felt alive_

_Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry_

_Here's to goodbye_

_Tomorrow's gonna come too soon… too soon. _

After they finished, they received a round of applause and shuffled off of the stage.

Mr. Schue, Coach Bieste and Sue were somehow assigned to hand out diplomas and each of the graduating seniors was called up to the stage. The first of the glee kids to get called up was Artie, then Rachel, Tina and Mike. They were followed by Sam, Quinn, Finn, Kurt and Mercedes. Puck couldn't help but cheer extra loud when Quinn's name was called, feeling extra cheesy when Brittney looked down at him with a goofy grin on her face. Next came Santana and Brittney, followed by Puck and Lauren came at the very end to round out the class.

Everyone stood and threw their caps in the air and cheered, but after feeling her hand on his shoulder and looking into her eyes during their song, Puck only had one thing on his mind. He wanted to find Quinn.

People were throwing their caps and hugging, but in the sea of red swarming before his eyes, he locked on to the one person he wanted to congratulate that day. The mass of wavy blonde hair came into sight and Puck walked up behind her, gently grabbing her arm and turning her, seeing her surprise in those sparkling eyes before cupping her jaw and kissing her with everything he had.

All the emotions and the feelings he had pent up for her over the past two years were projected into that kiss and he could have sworn the Earth shifted under his feet the second his lips met hers. He kept his left hand on her jaw while his right arm snaked around her, his hand settling on her lower back. He pulled her in closer to him needing more contact, and was rewarded when he felt her body relax and sink into him. She tasted like strawberries and mint lifesavers and something totally unique and sexy to Quinn. He drew the kiss out as long as he could, savoring the feel of her there against him, even if this whole kiss was essentially the result of a sneak-attack he pulled on her. What surprised him even more was the fact that, if he weren't mistaken, she was kissing him back….

Quinn felt his hand grab her arm but was definitely not expecting what happened next. She barely had time to look up into those devastatingly sexy chocolate orbs of his before she felt his hand on the side of her face and felt herself being pulled toward him when she tasted his lips on hers. She was convinced her heart had stopped beating as he kissed her, as she had been dreaming about this moment for a while now. He tasted like bubble gum and Puck…just simply Puck. She registered his hand on her lower back and couldn't help suppress a moan when she leaned into him, fully giving into the kiss.

She honestly thought she was melting right there, and it wasn't because of the summer sun outside. Puck radiated so much heat through his body and his kiss, she thought she may combust just standing there. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer, running her tongue along his lower lip, practically pleading for access. He complied and slid his tongue against hers in a dance familiar yet foreign to the both of them. She always enjoyed kissing him in the past, but after two years of sheer angst and desire for the man holding her now, the kiss felt so new and exciting that she needed more of everything. More feeling, more touching, more tasting, more skin, more him. She felt a chill run down her spine as his mouth worked wonders, and wanted to kick herself for missing out on this for the past few years. She couldn't help but think about what else she had been missing out on with him…

Puck and Quinn had completely lost themselves to the sensation of kissing one another that it felt as though time had stopped in that moment. They were jolted out of their reverie when they heard a few cat-calls and a very loud Santana telling them both to "get a room."

They slowly broke apart, staring breathless at one another. "Wow," they both whispered in unison. They continued to stare into each other's eyes and Puck raised his hand to gently tuck a wayward strand of Quinn's hair back behind her ear.

Before either of them could say anything else, Puck's mom and sister and Quinn's mother had found them and began pulling them away from one another to take pictures and get ready to leave. Neither could look away from one another after the earth-shattering kiss they just experienced. As they walked backwards away from one another, they both held on to each other's gaze for as long as possible before they had to look away to avoid tripping.

Deep down, they both knew that it couldn't be the end for the two of them. It felt like a new beginning to the both of them, but with them going separate ways soon, their feelings and emotions were bound to get tangled in the complications distance caused.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **_First off, I would like to apologize for how long it has taken to update the story. It's getting close to finals time and it has been a scramble to attempt to re-learn and retain an entire semester's worth of legalese and rules, statutes, and other boring things as well as finishing up a few papers that are due here soon so please bear with me._

_Also, thank you so much for the story alerts and favorite adds! I really appreciate you reading my story and I thoroughly enjoy your reviews! Thank you all! Now onward…._

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

_Summer Break – June_

Even though the past few months had flown by, graduation had came and went, and all of the excitement and pomp leading up to the big day had fizzled away, Puck refused to let the remainder of his time in Lima pass him by. He only had about three weeks until he and Finn shipped off to Fort Benning, Georgia to begin boot camp and he'd be damned if he wasted any of it.

He was excited to go down to Georgia to start basic training and hopefully kick enough ass to qualify for Airborne school after that, a mere (yet necessary) stepping stone to get to his ultimate goal of becoming an Army Ranger. He welcomed the challenge, and was anxious to start crawling around in the woods and running through obstacle courses. He honestly could say that he couldn't wait to start proving his worth, not only to himself, but to everyone else out there. He was bound and determined to do well while he was there, and had been running and working out preparing himself for basic training since he signed on. He was 110% committed and had no qualms about going in and what he would be faced with once he got to Georgia, yet he couldn't shake this nagging feeling of doubt in the back of his mind that refused to go away.

He knew exactly what it was about too: Quinn. A few days ago they shared their first kiss in over 2 years and it was amazing, to say the least. He felt like a jolt of electricity had shot through his body when his lips touched hers, and even now standing outside in the ninety-degree heat cleaning pools, he felt chills run down his spine simply recalling that memory.

_Her blazing green eyes staring up at him. Her silky golden hair shining in the sun. Her porcelain skin smooth to the touch. Her soft pink lips, supple and malleable against his. Her perfect teeth nipping at his bottom lip. Her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. Her soft whimpers against his lips as she kissed him back. Regardless that they were on the football field surrounded by all of their former classmates, he was in Heaven. Anywhere she was would be simply perfect._

A loud wheezing noise followed by a jerk on the vacuum hose he was holding snapped him back to reality and he cursed, realizing he probably sucked up some toy that was left on the bottom of the pool. He reasoned that he was pretty much done there anyway, so he might as well call it a day. As he began reeling in the vacuum hose, he bumped up against the side of the above-ground pool, fully realizing how hard he had gotten while thinking about Quinn just now. He knew she turned him on just thinking about her, but he didn't quite know that simple memory would have such an effect on him.

Slightly embarrassed at his reaction, he quickly finished adding chemicals to the pool before walking back around the side of the house and practically diving into his truck. He turned the ignition and peeled out of there, needing a cold shower and some alone time as soon as he got home.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After entertaining extended family and friends for the past few days after graduation, Quinn was more than excited to finally have some time to herself. As much as she loved her family, what with how much they supported her mom, sister and her after the whole cheating scandal her father had caused, she felt like she was being smothered will all of the attention. Especially after getting asked the same questions multiple times over the past few days, she was tired of the polite answers and fake smiles she was doling out. If she heard one more person ask her if she was excited to go cheer for the Buckeyes next year or if she was still dating that hunky, dark-haired quarterback from high school, she might slap someone.

But the question that always stung and she couldn't help getting a bit bleary-eyed over, no matter how many times people asked, had to do with her baby. Whether it was a comment like "We're so proud you have been able to pull yourself together and accomplish what you have since your little surprise your sophomore year" or a more probing question like "How are you really doing since you gave your baby up for adoption?" they all still hurt. She felt like her heart was going to explode every time someone commented on it, and while she wanted to let the tears flow and tell people that it hurt like hell parting with her little girl and neither Quinn nor the baby's father wanted to give her up, she would try to hold it together long enough to give her usual answer of "fine" before quickly excusing herself from the conversation.

As she sat on her front porch swing enjoying the summer evening and reviewing the past few days, she couldn't help but chuckle a little at how thick her family members could be sometimes. They all asked the same questions and got the same response, and she couldn't figure out why they weren't smart enough to realize why she reacted the same way each time. She couldn't help but think that if she had a dollar for every time someone had asked about Beth at her graduation party and the few days after, she would have quite the nest-egg to begin the year off well next semester.

Next semester. That phrase brought Quinn's train of thought to a screeching halt. She would start college in two and a half months. Was she ready for that big of a jump? She was always the big fish in a somewhat small pond, so what would it be like when she went to a much bigger school? Would she be just another awkward small fish in a huge ocean called Ohio State University? Would people like her and would she get along with her team? She knew she would have Santana and Brittney to keep her company, but what if she ended up hating the rest of it? She hated being unsure about things, but she was excited for a change of scenery because Lima was starting to feel like she was trapped, living in a fish bowl. And why the hell was she making mental references about fish all of a sudden? The heat must really be getting to her, she thought, as she stood up and walked back into the house.

She decided to call it an early night, putting on her pajamas and sliding under the covers. She wished she was more tired, as her mind tends to wander while laying here waiting for sleep to come. She still had this disquieting sense of unease about leaving next semester. She knew she could fend for herself at OSU, and even if she couldn't, Santana would always step in and defend her, which never turned out good for anyone who opposed her.

She tried to reconcile what was bothering her so much about the situation. She was anxious to start cheer camp with her new team, but she welcomed new challenges. She was smart, so she knew she would do well in her classes, especially since her schedule didn't look too tough for this next year. She would be the new girl on campus, but she, Britt and Santana knew how to make an impression and it wouldn't be long before they were on the social A-List.

She knew she would miss a few things from high school, such as being at the top of the social ladder and teachers like Mr. Schue. And while she wouldn't miss the grueling Cheerio's practices Coach Sylvester made them endure, she would miss crazy Sue's random hallway tirades and her ridiculous comments she would make, prompting Santana and Quinn to start compiling a list of her quotes they hoped to one day turn into a book called "Sue-isms." She knew there were definitely people she wouldn't miss, but she would definitely miss her friends from glee club.

Quinn felt a twinge of sadness wash over her at the thought of leaving all her glee friends. Especially Mercedes, Kurt and Tina. She had gotten to know them all over the years, and while Mercedes had been a huge support for her while she was going through a rough time during her pregnancy, she remained great friends with her for the remainder of her time at McKinley. She even got to know Tina and Kurt a lot better too, feeling a sense of kinship with all three of her friends. She had always liked Artie and Mike too. Mike had always been fairly quiet but somehow managed to make her laugh and she never really had a problem with Artie; that was Santana's issue. Sam was… well, Sam was Sam. Things had never gone back to normal after they split, but she couldn't blame him. He was still kind to her so that was a plus.

And then there was Finn. Sure she and Finn had history, but they both kind of got over it when he got back with Rachel, and while Quinn found Rachel utterly annoying at times, the two of them had bonded over Quinn giving Beth up to Rachel's birth mom Shelby. They had even begun to tolerate one another and gotten a bit closer over the whole "Fight for Finn" during junior year. Then Quinn couldn't help but think about Lauren and how ridiculous that girl had been when she first joined glee, but she did add some color and spunk to the club and she was always making people laugh, so she wished her the best. She felt bad she and Lauren hadn't gotten to be better friends over the years, even though they did battle against each other for prom queen junior year. As much as Quinn wanted to like Lauren in high school, there was always something holding her back. There was always something that bothered Quinn about the girl.

And it hit her like a ton of bricks… Puck. Puck had taken a liking to Lauren junior year, don't ask her why, and had even asked her to junior prom. While she had turned him down to focus on her campaign, he supported Lauren during her campaign for prom queen and Quinn felt like he was betraying her at the time. If she had been honest with herself, she would have been able to see that she was jealous of Lauren and the fact that she now held Puck's affections instead of Quinn. But Puck and Lauren had broken up shortly thereafter, and he really didn't date anyone their senior year, so why was she still stewing about his relationship with Lauren after all this time?

Quinn hated to admit it but she was jealous. Jealous that Puck and Lauren remained friends the following year while she and him had barely spoken to one another for over a year, that was until she snapped after seeing Shelby and little Beth at the mall back in November. After she broke up with Finn so he could go after Rachel, she didn't date anyone for all of senior year and part of her was secretly hoping she and Puck could maybe give it another go but nothing had turned into anything. She thought that all the little things she did throughout the year, the text messages, the conversation about Beth, all of it would help show him she still wanted him, but she guessed subtlety didn't work on guys, especially guys like Puck, who wouldn't realize what was going on until Captain Obvious was waving a sign in front of his face.

She was tired of waiting for him, and if his tracking her down at graduation and kissing her like he did meant what she thought it meant, he was tired of waiting for her too. She knew she missed him and that kiss proved that he missed her too.

_God, the intensity with which he looked at her with those smoldering brown eyes. The slight smirk dancing across his face. His big hand cradling her face. His guitar-calloused fingers slipping through her hair pulling on the nape of her neck. Those perfect pouty lips gently caressing hers before sensuously demanding more. Those strong arms enveloping her, pulling her tightly and molding her body into his. That incredibly talented tongue, tracing along her lower lip before slowly sliding against hers. The scorching heat his body radiated against hers, as he held her and kissed her, rendering her absolutely captivated by him. Time seemed to stand still as they enjoyed their moment and savored the touch, taste and feel of one another, until they were so rudely pulled apart. But that smoldering look in his eyes persisted until she was forced to break his gaze and turn around to walk away with her mom. _

Oh, if her reaction to that kiss told her anything, it was a sign that they definitely weren't over. Just laying here thinking about it got her hot and bothered to the point she had to throw the covers off of her just to cool down. She wanted Puck badly, and that kiss and the look in his eyes as he walked away gave away the fact that he wanted her too. That kiss would probably be the kiss she defined and compared all other kisses to for the rest of her life.

She knew that her time was running out before she went off to school and that summer would end before they knew it, so she knew she better get her ass in gear soon or she'll have wasted her summer pining over the man instead of enjoying him… And then reality struck like a bolt of lightning and she flung herself into an upright position as a slight panic attack began to set in... She didn't have the whole summer to spend with him.

She remembered hearing him say that he left for basic training on July 1st, and after a quick mental calculation, meant that she only had about two and a half more weeks before he would head to Georgia, leaving her and Ohio behind for good. She got out of bed and began to pace across her room, her chest constricting at the thought while her mind was reeling with regrets of not spending more time with him and thoughts as to how she could get him to stay and be with her.

She knew she had to do something big, something drastic and less subtle than her hints she tried to give him in the past. She wanted him, no, needed him in her life and the thought of him leaving was borderline unbearable. She started running through all the scenarios in her head. He could move in with her in Columbus and look for a job there while she attended school. San and Britt wouldn't mind, it meant more privacy. Columbus was a big city and he could find plenty of opportunities there, maybe save up some money to go to community college for a year and get his grades up so he could transfer in to OSU the next year. He didn't have to do the Army thing. It's not like he had left yet and he could always change his mind.

As she began to think about the possibility of him staying in Ohio and possibly moving with her to Columbus, her heart rate began to slow and she calmed down, the anxiety beginning to dissipate from her body. She walked back over to her bed and laid back down, allowing her body to relax while her mind continued to contemplate ways to get him to change his mind about the military and decide he wants to be with her instead. As sleep overtook her body, a strange sense of satisfaction overtook her and a smile crept up on her lips as she figured out the perfect way to get him back…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After spending the rest of the previous afternoon taking a cold shower and trying to get images and thoughts about Quinn out of his head and the rest of the evening plucking away at his guitar while hanging out with his little sister, Puck was determined to do something else with his time besides hang around the house or clean peoples pools. He went for a long run that morning, stopping in the park to do some push-ups and sit-ups before continuing on to the elementary school where he finished his workout with pull-ups on the monkey bars before jogging home. Once he was showered and changed for the day, he decided a boy's day was what he needed to get all these thoughts about Quinn out of his mind.

He picked up the phone and called Finn to see what he was up to. After a few rings, a girl's voice answered, and Puck automatically registered that it was Rachel. He asked for Finn and began to tease him immediately about having a secretary now when he heard the other boy's voice greet him on the other end of the line. They joked around for a few minutes before Puck asked if he wanted to do something that day, like kill some zombies on Xbox or go shoot some hoops.

Finn, however, shot him down, saying that he had plans with Rachel for the day and that maybe some other day would work better. Knowing Rachel, she had probably filled Finn's schedule to the brim with couples activities for the remainder of their time before they left for basic training. At first Puck was pissed since she was dominating Finn's time, but he couldn't help crack a smile at the thought that his buddy may be getting some action before he left, so he figured he would just let it go. He would see Finn quite a bit at basic anyway so might as well let him have his time. He ended up calling Mike and Artie to see if they wanted to hang out, and the boys spend the rest of the day shooting hoops, eating junk food and drinking beer that they managed to snag out of Artie's fridge, and playing Xbox.

Once he was sufficiently exhausted, he told the guys he would see them later and headed home, looking forward to sleeping in a bit in the morning. He flopped down on his bed the second he made it to his room and closed his eyes, reflecting on how much fun he had that day. He never would have seen himself hanging out with Artie outside of glee club much, especially since Puck had put him in a Port-o-Potty and threatened to overturn him multiple times throughout high school, but he had come to be pretty good friends with him. And it was always easy sneaking booze out of Artie's house, which was a definite plus. As he went to turn onto his side to get more comfortable, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket and heard the distinctive tone that he had received a text message. He wrestled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open to read his message.

"You busy tomorrow?" It was from Quinn. He felt his heart rate quicken and his palms begin to sweat at the sight of her message. "Not as far as I know. Pretty free. You?" He replied back, a little too quickly perhaps, especially if he was trying to play it cool with her.

That thought caused him to pause and think for a second. He was going to boot camp in less than three weeks and Quinn would be heading to college while he was there, meaning he may only have these last few weeks with her. He wanted her, and he was pretty sure she wanted him too, so why the hell was he worried about playing it cool. He totally let his guard down sophomore year when he took responsibility for the baby and told her he wanted to be a family, and since that was over it wasn't like he had a reputation to protect anymore. He wasn't in high school anymore, and if anything he would still be a badass who wore camo and knew how to blow stuff up once the Army was through with him, so why waste any more time he may have with her.

His phone buzzed again. "I'm pretty free myself. I was gonna see if you wanted to hang out at some point." He smirked as he wrote back, "You wanna hang out at some point? Or you wanna hang out tomorrow? Cuz I don't know about you, but I've been dying for a repeat of graduation for the past few days now." _If I'm gonna go there, might as well go all in_ he reasoned with himself before pressing the send button.

He didn't have to wait long for her response. "Oh, you have no idea… pick me up at 2pm tomorrow?" she wrote back. He smiled, typing in "It's a date, see you tomorrow Princess," before pressing send and chuckling at the reaction she was probably going to have after seeing the nickname he had given her while she was living at his house when she was pregnant. She was always acting crazy (she blamed the hormones but he was sure she was just naturally a little nuts), so he would call her high maintenance and always refer to her as "Princess" since she liked to act like one all the time.

He rolled over and got comfortable, letting his mind reminisce about their time together as well as wonder about the possibilities of what their date tomorrow could entail, before drifting off.

On the other side of town, Quinn lay in bed staring at her phone on her nightstand. She couldn't help but think about how her date with Puck tomorrow was going to go, or how far she would let it go. _What am I getting myself into_, she thought as she restlessly tossed and turned a few more times before settling in for the night.

-x-x-x-x

Their first date was an overall success. Puck picked her up at 2pm and decided to take her to the county fair for a few hours, as not a whole lot else was going on around town. They rode the rides, he won her a stuffed lamb after he knocked all the milk canisters over with a baseball, and they laughed about how stereotypical their date had been thus far while dancing to one of the bands playing that night.

They told stories and reminisced while eating cotton candy in his truck on their way home, and when he pulled up in front of her house, he lied and told her she had some stuck to her lip just to have an excuse to lean over and kiss her again. As soon as their lips touched, Puck could have sworn someone turned a furnace on in the car as things got pretty heated pretty quick. Their kiss went from slow and sensual to passionate and needy in about 20 seconds and after a few minutes, they broke apart and realized that at some point during the kiss their bodies took over before their minds could register what was going on. Quinn was practically straddling Puck and he was leaning her into the passenger side window, running his hands up and down her thighs.

The spark between them was undeniable, but they both broke apart and cooled down a bit, each agreeing that things had moved quite fast for their "first date." He walked her up to her front door, leaned down and kissed her, chastely on the cheek this time, and asked her to go out with him again the next night. She leaned up and brushed her lips across his briefly before accepting his offer, and turning to head inside.

Puck turned to walk back to his truck, but not before doing a small fist-pump in victory and letting a big smile take over his face at the thought of getting to spend more time with her.

As Puck turned to leave, Quinn watched him walk toward his truck though the peep-hole in the door for a while before turning around and leaning against the cool wood. She allowed herself to slide down the door and hug her new stuffed lamb against her chest, not being able to suppress the giant smile that came across her lips at the memory of their night tonight. And that kiss? She could definitely get used to that. She couldn't wait to be with him again the next day, and any other day she was able to see him.

_TBC…_

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><p><strong>AN 2: **_Sorry for cutting this one a little short, I feel like I left you all hanging. However, when I started writing this chapter, I realized it was a lot longer than I anticipated, so I'm breaking it into a Chapter 5 Part I and Part II will be the next installment. I am also working on getting a few more chaps done before finals really hits me like a freight train. I appreciate all your comments and story alert adds! It's awesome motivation _


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **_Ok, so last chapter and this chapter were supposed to be the same chapter, but when I finally finished it, it was super long and novel-like so I cut it into two parts. At least now the chapter tabs are the same __Sorry for the confusion or if you feel like I left you hanging after the last chapter. _

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 (continued…)<strong>

The past two and a half weeks had flown faster than Puck or Quinn could have ever imagined. _It's hard to believe our time together is almost over_, Puck thought, as he finished buttoning up his shirt and tucking it in before checking himself out in the mirror to see if he looked alright. He wanted to do something special for their last night together before he would leave for basic training in the morning, so he had brainstormed all last night and most of this morning as to all the possibilities of what he and Quinn could do tonight.

Dinner? Been there, done that. Movies? Too impersonal and people frown upon taking in the theaters. He found that he actually really loved joking around with her and talking with her about things other than school, sports or the Cheerios and they ended up had some pretty deep conversations over the past few weeks, so the movies were out too. Putt-putt? No, thanks. He was a natural athlete, but a terrible golfer with no patience, and he didn't wanna suck it up too hard in front of Quinn. So he finally asked his mom, who gave him a fantastic suggestion. He spent the remainder of the day preparing for it and setting everything up with a little help from Britt and Santana. Santana complained of course, but they had owed him a favor from a while back and Britt was so taken with how sweet Puck was being that there was no way Santana could have said no to her puppy-dog eyes.

He took one last look in the mirror in the hallway before walking into the kitchen and picking up his keys and the rest of the supplies he would need. His mom helped straighten his collar and wished him good luck before he headed out the door toward Quinn's house.

Quinn spun around in the full length mirror on her closet door, checking and double-checking to make sure the dress she had picked out for the occasion was perfect. Puck had told her earlier that he had a surprise for her that night and she knew he wanted to do something special for her on his last night there. She wanted to do something special for him too, and she was hoping her plan would work before she chickened out completely. She checked her make up one last time before she heard the doorbell ring. She slid into some flats, pressed her hands down her dress a few more times trying to flatten the wrinkles that she knew didn't exist, and proceeded down the stairs toward the front door. Her mom had answered and was chatting politely with someone on the other side of the door. As Quinn rounded the corner, she saw a very dapper looking Puck, dressed in black slacks and a charcoal gray button up shirt, holding a bouquet of colorful flowers.

She couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her as she walked toward the door, grabbing her purse on the way out. Her mom offered her a small pat on the back and wished the duo a lovely evening before heading back into the house. Quinn leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips, savoring the feel of them against hers. After they parted, he offered her the flowers before taking her hand and leading her to the car. He opened her door for her and helped her in before rounding the truck and jumping in behind the wheel. He checked his phone and sent a quick text before starting up the truck and pulling off of her street. Quinn asked where they were headed to and he told her she would have to wait to find out. The anticipation was killing her, but she knew that he had something special up his sleeve, so she chose to see where this was headed instead of continue to pester him about their plans.

They had been driving for a few minutes when Puck signaled and they made a turn off onto a dirt road. Quinn looked over at him from the passenger seat with a quizzical look on her face and he couldn't help but chuckle, before telling her to relax and that they weren't all that far away from the elementary school. She seemed to relax a bit at this information but she still looked a bit apprehensive when he stopped at their destination and put the truck in park in the middle of a gravel clearing surrounded by a wooded area, walking around to her door and helping her out of the truck. He leaned over the side of the truck to pull out the picnic basket he had packed earlier and the bag containing the bottle of wine he snuck out of the house. He transferred the basket and the bag to his left hand and used his free hand to grasp hers, leading her down a small path through the trees.

Quinn looked around nervously, thinking this was a very strange date already and that she was definitely not dressed to do any sort of hiking or whatever. But her doubts completely dissipated a few minutes later when they emerged from the wooded area into a small clearing near the pond behind the elementary school. She looked around in awe as he sat the basket and bag down near the blanket that had been spread out and the throw pillows that had been placed around the camping lantern in the center of the blanket. There was a full moon that night and the light spilling across the pond would have been enough to see perfectly, but he went above and beyond to try and make this romantic for her. She looked around at a few of the trees that hung over and around their little picnic area and noticed that he strung up tons of small candles to all of the branches, creating a halo of candlelight around them.

As she stood there, mouth hanging open, gaping in awe trying to take it all in, she heard him try to quietly clear his throat before saying, "they're not real candles, just so you know. Sorry if that ruins some of the fun, but I didn't want to burn the place down. Well, I mean that would have been cool and all but I guess the fine for arson has gone up quite a bit and I have always liked this spot a lot so I figured I would play it safe and get the battery-powered ones. They even keep the bugs –" as he was cut off by her lips crashing into his, her hands winding around her neck. Puck had a tendency to ramble when he gets nervous, so she thought she should let him know how she felt about his gesture.

"It's absolutely incredible. This is perfect, Puck. I love it," she murmured once they broke apart. His shoulders seemed to relax so she added, "how did you do all of this?"

"The picnic was my mom's idea, but Britt and San helped out. That's who I texted, before we got here, they actually stuck around and left just before we got here to make sure nothing happened to all of it," he replied, looping his arm around her lower back and looking up at the trees, admiring his handiwork. "Though I will admit, the food is carry-out. I was kinda busy for most the day. And the wine is courtesy of Mama P."

"I still can't believe you did all of this, this is amazing!" Quinn replied, turning a full 360-degrees to take it all in. "Well, I'm glad you like it," Puck said, "I wanted to make a lasting impression, something to help you remember me by." He murmurs the last bit of that response quietly before glancing down at his shoes.

She looks up at him and reaches up to cup his jaw, drawing his chin up to look her in the eye. "I could never forget you, Puck," she says, and after seeing the reserve in his eyes, she arches her eyebrown before quickly mentioning "I mean, it's not every day the bad boy wide-receiver with the Mohawk gets me knocked up the first time I have sex… and then comes back a few years later, after I have made my fair share of dumb mistakes mind you, and completely sweeps me off my feet again. I don't foresee that happening again anytime soon." A playful smile dances across her lips as she sees his mouth quirk into a sly smile, "Now did you say something about food, cuz I'm starving!"

He looks down at her, taking in her amused gaze and playful smile and can't help but chuckle when she mentions food, so he walks her over to the blanket and they sit down, settling themselves for their picnic. He takes out the food and they proceed to eat and talk, enjoying the easy conversation and one another.

After they had finished eating and lay down on the blanket, making themselves comfortable, Quinn couldn't help but ask, "Why this spot? I mean it's incredible, but any particular reason you picked here?"

"That's easy. Do you recognize this spot at all?" Puck asked, shifting to pull her closer.

"It looks so familiar, and I know I've been here before, but I can't place it in my mind right now." Quinn replied, shaking her head against his chest.

"I actually came across it on one of my runs a few weeks ago. As soon as I saw it, it instantly reminded me of you," he said, lightly stroking her hair. "Why is that?" Quinn asked.

"Because I remembered this was the spot where I first met you. I told you we were near the elementary school, but I didn't know if you remembered the wooded area backs up to the playground behind the school."

"Oh yeah, and everyone was always terrified of the scary monsters that lived in the woods, so nobody was allowed to go in there at recess," Quinn replied excitedly, looking up slightly to see if she was right.

Puck chuckled before continuing, "That's right, but I remember a certain stubborn 6 year old blonde girl and her crazy friends following a group of us boys into the trees only to get her sandal stuck in the mud near the pond. You got so mad at me –"

"—when you decided to yank it out of the mud and wash it off in the pond instead of under a sink or someplace with cleaner water! I remember!" Quinn said excitedly, leaning up on her elbows and grasping his arm. "Santana wanted to see what you were up to and I'm pretty sure Britt was just curious about this "monster", so naturally I had to follow along."

"Naturally." Puck said, playfully wincing away from the light smack she gave his chest. "We told you all to turn back, but the three of you kept following us, and you eventually got stuck, so I felt it was my duty to rescue you," he explained, smirking playfully back down at her as she rolled her eyes. "Since we were in different kindergarten classes, this was the first place I actually saw you. And truth be told, I'm pretty sure you've held a piece of my heart ever since that day you snatched your sandal back out of my hand and stuck your tongue out at me. How ladylike," he mocked.

She looked into his eyes and smiled softly before replying, "Well, you made quite the impression on me Mr. Puckerman. I knew from a young age you were going to be a handful. And I stuck my tongue out at you as a warning. I figured you would have gotten the picture and stayed away from me after that," she said playfully, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Oh but it was such a lovely tongue, why on earth would I stay away from that. It became a temptation rather than a warning," he stated, arching his eyebrow in response before leaning in closer to her "so I guess your plan kinda back-fired on you after all." He captured her lips in a kiss before rolling on his side to meet her more fully, deepening the kiss.

"Is it bad to say I'm glad my plan eventually back-fired on me? Otherwise, we wouldn't be here right now," she murmured against his lips before drawing him back into the kiss.

"Mmm, not at all. I'm glad it didn't work out for ya," he said as they pulled back once again, smirking against her lips.

"My 6 year old self would be somewhat disappointed in my actions right now," she teased, toying with his top button on his shirt.

"Oh yeah, well my 6 year old self would be giving me a high-five if he could see me right now." She giggled, smiling against his lips before he continued, "He was a smart dude. He knew what he wanted and knew he wanted you when he was 6. He has wanted the same thing ever since," he murmured, before pressing his lips into hers passionately, causing a small moan to escape her throat.

They stayed like this for a while, making out and allowing their touches to wander under various articles of clothes a bit, and talking and teasing each other with verbal jabs whenever they parted and needed to come up for air. Everything felt so natural and so easy with them, that they couldn't help wonder aloud why it had taken them so long to get their acts together and to come after one another.

-x-x-x-x-x-

After spending the better part of the evening talking, laughing, kissing, and holding each other, enjoying the other's presence, Puck realized they had been there for quite a long time. The moon had changed positions in the sky and with a quick glance at his phone, he saw it was well past eleven, which wouldn't be a problem except he had to be up in about 8 hours and at his recruiter's office ready to go to boot camp the next morning. Their conversation had died out about 30 minutes ago, and while he thought Quinn might still be awake, there was the possibility she may have fallen asleep on him.

He looks down and kisses the top of her head, before running his hand lightly down her back quietly murmuring her name. When she responds and looks up at him, he tells her it's getting pretty late and that they should think about packing up and heading out pretty soon. Although it's dark out, he can see the flash of sadness behind her eyes as she looks down quickly before agreeing. They stand up and gather up all the blankets and pillows, collecting them in the extra bag he brought. The put away all their food containers and the empty bottle of wine before she stops and takes one last look around, savoring the scene he created for her.

"What do we need to do about the candles?" Quinn asks, wondering how long it was going to take to pull them all down.

"We're gonna leave them actually," he replied, taking a small remote out of his pocket and pushing the off button, the lights hanging from the trees flickering out at the touch. "I think San and Britt were going to enjoy them at some point before taking them down for me."

She nodded and snuggled her head into his chest as she wrapped an arm around his lower back. He slung his free arm around her shoulders as they trudged back through the trees to his truck. He set all of the gear in the bed of his truck before helping her hop up into the passenger seat and climbing in on the driver's side. As they approached the residential neighborhoods, Puck glanced over at Quinn, who was leaning the side of her head up against the window, staring out the windshield. She had been quiet the whole ride home and he was starting to dread dropping her off at her house in a few minutes.

He reaches over, placing a hand on her thigh before asking her if she's alright. "I don't know," she replies, "tonight was amazing, and I never want it to end."

"I know. I wish we had more time," he says, looking over into her awaiting eyes.

"Then don't drop me off at home. This doesn't have to end at my front door tonight," she replies quietly, glancing down at his hand on her leg, before covering the hand with both of hers.

"What do you mean?" He asks tentatively, not wanting to sound too desperate or pushy for her to come stay with him for the night.

She looks back up at him, uncertainty mixed with hope flashing in her eyes. "Take me to your place. I want to be with you tonight," she murmurs, holding his eyes while biting the corner of her bottom lip. _God, she looks so damn sexy when she does that,_ he thinks. He is too far gone with her right now to even consider turning her down, so he nods his head in agreement, and pulling his right hand off of her leg enough to grasp both of her hands, holding them until they reach his house.

He climbs out of his side and makes his way around the truck to open her door and help her down. They collect the things from the back, and once inside Puck's house, set the picnic stuff by the front door. He looks into her eyes before leaning toward her, kissing her softly on the lips. She responds by kissing him back, breaking apart when she starts tugging on his hand, quietly leading him toward the stairs and up into his room.

Once they make it to his room, he drops her hand to quietly shut his door and turn the lock, before looking back at her once he's done. She is standing in the middle of his room, her eyes wandering about the space and her hands clasped in front of her as she fidgets with her fingernails. Puck continues to watch her look around, and when she finally meets his eye, she smiles softly, "Not much has changed since I lived here."

He chuckles lightly, "Yeah, I've never been much of an interior decorator if you couldn't tell. I think that's Kurt's job." He sees her chuckle a little too, so he takes the opportunity to push himself away from his door and walk toward her. She looks up at him as he approaches her, the intensity in his eyes making her feel like he is looking straight through her. He presses a light kiss to her lips before pulling back slightly, "Good thing I already packed," he says, nodding toward the Army green duffle bag sitting on the floor by his closet, "Means I get to spend more time with you." He smiles against her lips before deepening the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly against his body.

He can feel the return of that familiar tingle of electricity between them as he continues to kiss her, his hands roaming up and down her back. There is something he has always found to be super sexy about her back, and he can never resist the chance to place a hand on it or run his fingers up and down the sides. He's not sure if it's the slight shiver he can feel run down her spine every time he grazes bare skin, or the soft smoothness of her skin he loves, but he knows he loves touching her there, holding her while running his hands up and down.

She leans further into his kiss, allowing herself to be sucked into the proverbial trance his kissing induces within her. Her arms wrap around his shoulders and she takes her time running her fingers along his finely-toned shoulders and shoulder blades. She has always found him incredibly sexy, especially when he has his shirt off. He has always been so buff from football and working out, and while she has been a sucker for a guy with abs in the past, she has always had a thing for Puck's shoulders and arms. They are so sexy and strong, yet gentle, warm and protective when they're wrapped around her.

She slides her hands around to the front of his shirt, trailing her hands down his chest, feeling his heart beat under her palm before reaching for the first button on his shirt. She wants him, and she is pretty sure she thinks she wants to do this, so now is not the time to chicken out, she tells herself.

Puck feels her hands shift from his shoulders to his chest and gently pulls away when she begins to fumble with the first button on his shirt. He gently brushes a fallen strand of hair away from her face then nudges her chin upwards until she is looking him in the eye. He kisses her chastely one more time before pulling away, moving toward his dresser.

A small hand reaches out and grips his arm as he goes to reach into his dresser. Surprised at her strength, he turns around to meet a set of intense hazel eyes. She pulls him away from the dresser and back toward the middle of the room, before reaching up and kissing him again, allowing herself to fully push her body up into his, trying to tell him without words what she wants. They stand there and kiss more until he goes to make a move and ends up tripping over his Army duffle on the floor, faltering a bit before catching himself.

Quinn takes this opportunity to summon all the nerves she's got, and pushes him backwards gently, until the backs of his knees hit his bed, forcing him to sit on the edge. She looks down at him and runs a hand along his jaw, letting her thumb drift slowly along his lips, before looking him in the eyes. "You and I have had a rough past few years," she begins quietly before glancing back down away from his stare, "and while it's taken me a long time to come around, I've realized that those months living with you a few years ago along with these past few weeks with you have meant more to me than any other silly relationship or time with anyone else in high school for that matter."

She hears him swallow hard, and she takes a deep breath before looking back up into his eyes and going on, "I really care about you, Puck. I'm falling head over heels for you and I want you to know that I need you. You were there for me when times got hard sophomore year," she says, pausing to let it sink in, before choosing the right words to say next, "and you were there for me afterwards, even if I completely ignored you. You were there for me when I saw _her_ again this past year, and you've been here showing me what I have been missing out on these past few weeks. The one thing I know, that I am absolutely sure about is that I need you, Puck," she tells him, before lowering her voice to almost a whisper, "I want you."

Puck holds her gaze, feeling the intensity burning into his eyes as he takes her all in, "Q…" He begins but she cuts him off before he can finish, "Please, just…. Just let me finish my thought before I lose it." He smiles and nods, signaling for her to continue. "I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I realize that I have lived too long wanting you but not quite having you in my life. You were always there and I was selfish and stupid and never acted on my desire for you, and for that I am truly sorry and I regret all the time we could have had together." She can feel the tears welling up behind her eyelids as she took a moment to pause and take a deep breath, collecting herself before continuing, "We have spent all of this time apart, but the last few weeks have shown that we are good together, and that we care about one another and need each other."

She looks up at the ceiling before taking another cleansing breath. He goes to open his mouth to respond, but before he can say anything, she beats him to it, "So please. Please don't go. Please stay here with me, and be with me. Come with me to OSU!," she begins, her eyes pleading with his, "You can find a job there and maybe take classes somewhere and we can be together. Finally, we can be together and give this thing between us a real shot. Puck, please!"

He glances down and clasps his hands in front of him, not wanting to look up into her eyes that he knows are full of unshed tears. He can hear the pleading in her voice, but he can't stand the thought of seeing the hurt in her eyes once he tells her he can't go with her to school. He finally drums up the courage, and glances back up, taking one of her hands in his, "As much as I love the offer, and wish I could take you up on that, I can't. I already signed on with the Army."

She clenches his hand with both of hers, her hands shaking while she furrows her brow and holds his gaze, continuing to plead with him, "But you can change your mind. You haven't left yet, it's not too late. I need you, please Puck!"

He gives her a sad smile before responding, "It is too late though. I leave tomorrow morning." He is convinced he actually saw her heart drop as she lifts her head slightly, letting her eyes close for a moment to let his response to her pleas sink in. She takes a deep breath and steps back from him, dropping his hand from her grasp. He looks back down at the floor and his clasped hands in front of him, immediately regretting the shortness of his response and wishes he had come up with a better way to say it. He misses her touch as well, the void between his hands feeling cold and empty already from missing her hands.

She takes a moment to gather herself before deciding to proceed. "Puck, please," she states as calmly as she can, waiting until he shifts his gaze up toward her, "I will do anything to make you stay." His eyes remain focused on hers, as she slowly reaches around to her back and begins to pull the zipper on her dress down. She holds his gaze as her zipper reaches the base of her spine, and she reaches up with her left hand to pull the right shoulder strap down, before repeating the same action on the other side. "Anything," she murmurs, as her dress begins to gather around her waist, exposing her light blue lace bra.

Before Puck could actually register what she was doing behind her back, her dress was already halfway off, bunching at her waist then sliding off completely, pooling at her feet. He stared at the dress on the floor for a moment before slowly raking his eyes up her incredibly toned legs, over the tantalizing light blue lace panties, up across her flat, sexy stomach toward the light blue bra that matched the panties until he finally reached her gaze once again.

She stared him down and he was pretty sure his mouth was hanging wide open as he saw her briefly break eye-contact and glance away, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink under his gaze. She looked back at him before moving her right hand behind her back again, pausing to get his attention before whispering, "Anything, Puck. Just please tell me you'll stay."

Her plea snapped him out of his trance, as he looked deeply into her eyes, seeing the mixture of emotions swirling around within her. He had learned that with most women, when they were turned on and really wanted a man, it was easy to see the heat and lust in their eyes, as their pupils would dilate more and the intensity of their gaze would heighten along with their breathing patterns.

Yet, when he looked in her eyes, he saw pleading, mixed with uncertainty and a twinge of sadness all capped off with desperation. Her breathing hitched, probably due to nerves, and he finally let her reasoning behind wanting to do this sink in. He heard her plea for him to stay, and her offer to do anything if he agreed, even going the extra mile by trying to offer herself if he would stay.

As much as he dreamed about the moment he could get her naked with him again, he knew this wasn't right. He wanted her badly and had been wanting her since the last time he was with her that night sophomore year. He didn't doubt that somewhere inside of her, she wanted him just as badly, and her kisses and the way her body responded to his was a sure-fire sign that she felt the heat between the two of them also. He guessed he should feel flattered that she would go to the lengths she's going just to assure he was still going to be a part of her life.

While it was not like the Puckasaurus to turn down an offer like this and it was taking every bone in his body not to tackle her and take her right there on the floor, he knew why she was offering herself to him like this, and he couldn't accept her offer in good conscience.

"Quinn," he began as he saw her reach behind her back once more, "I can't. Please, Q…" he begged, his voice lost once she snapped the clasp of her bra apart and let the light blue garment dangle down her arms before it dropped to the floor. He tried his best not to ogle, but he was a man and he couldn't help his reaction to the incredibly stunning blonde standing in front of him wearing only a small scrap of lace that constituted panties.

Quinn felt her hands begin to tremble, as she saw him staring at her body. She knew it wasn't perfect anymore, her stomach still had a few very light stretch marks from where their baby had been, and while she tried to do as many ab exercises as she could, her stomach never got back to being the 6-pack she had before her pregnancy. Now, standing here mostly naked in front of Puck, the well-known connoisseur of women, she felt even more critical of herself, wishing she would have spent the extra 15 minutes more on the elliptical than she usually did to help tone her butt more, or done more push-ups than Coach Sylvester had them do already so her arms didn't feel as flabby as they did right now.

She felt like she was under the microscope, but from the stunned look on his face, she thought it couldn't be too bad. At least he hadn't made a face or any rude comments yet. She decided she needed to break his stare before it got to be too much, and her nerves got the best of her.

"Puck," she said quietly, regaining his attention. Once he looked back up and met her eyes, she decided to just go for it. With trembling fingers, her thumbs hooked into the sides of her panties as she slid them down her legs slowly, her eyes never leaving his, until they joined her dress on the floor. She slowly stood back up watching him and waiting for his reaction before murmuring "Please…" She had never done anything so brash before but she knew she needed to do something drastic to let him know she needed him in her life, and this was the only way she was sure she would get his attention. She nervously crossed her hands in front of her, only to uncross them and re-cross them behind her back, while she waited to see what he would do.

As soon as Quinn reached for her panties and slid them down her legs, Puck's mind went completely blank. _Quinn is naked. Quinn is naked in my room right now. Holy shit, she's naked in my room right now and she's begging me to take her, _he thought to himself as he surveyed her body. She was perfect, in every way, and her being naked in such a close proximity to him was definitely eliciting quite the response from his body. He took one long sweeping look at her body in all its glory before looking back up into her eyes. He was met by the same shockingly innocent and timid hazel eyes he saw a few minutes ago and knew he needed to do something.

He pushed himself off of the bed, then walked the few steps to where she was standing, looking at her the whole way. As soon as he was standing in front of her, he saw her lower her head and avert her gaze, clenching her hands together in front of her body before she looked back up and met his gaze.

He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek before tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear, and leaning in to place a chaste, closed mouth kiss on her lips. He leaned back to look her in the eye, "You are so beautiful, you know that?" he murmured, his voice so low it was practically a whisper.

He saw a soft smile tug across her lips as she looked back up at him as she replied, "Thank you." Quinn felt much less insecure about herself after he made that sweet comment, but it did nothing to calm her nerves about what was to come next. She unclenched her hands and ran her fingers up his chest, finding the top button of his shirt and loosening it from its hole, hoping Puck didn't notice how much her fingers were trembling while she worked on his buttons.

Puck noticed her hands shaking, and also didn't miss the fact that her breathing was shallow and the rest of her body seemed to be trembling a bit as well. He knew she wasn't used to this type of thing, and he was pretty sure he was the only man she had even been naked with in the past, so he understood how nervous she probably was. Hell, he figured she was probably a bit scared at this point as well. This was a big step for her and while he appreciated the gesture, and she would never know how much it meant to him that she wanted to be this open with him and would be willing to go to such lengths to ask him to stay, he knew they couldn't go through with this right now. So he leaned back in towards her, kissing her again as he reached behind her to grab what was hanging on his desk chair.

Quinn fumbled with a few more buttons when she suddenly felt him lean in and capture her lips in another kiss. She kissed him back, slowing her movements with her hands to enjoy the kiss. She felt his body shift leaning further in toward her, and she thought that she had won, that he had acquiesced and was taking her up on her offer by agreeing to stay.

She clutched the front of his shirt, savoring the taste of his kiss when she felt something heavy and warm being wrapped around her shoulders. Surprised at the new sensation, she pulled away from the kiss and looked down. She was wrapped in his letterman's jacket. She furrowed her brow in confusion at the jacket and Puck's response in general and when she went to look back up into his eyes, he gave her a small, soft smile before explaining.

"You have no idea how badly I want you right now, and it is taking every muscle in my body to restrain myself from giving into you right now." She went to respond, but he cupped her jaw and placed his thumb over her lips, silencing whatever she was going to say as to allow him to finish. "However, as much I want you, or even need you at this point, I can't do this right now. _We_ can't do this right now."

Quinn released his shirt and held her arms tightly around her body as she looked down, feeling the burn of tears beginning to well up behind her eyelids before asking him in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible, "Is it me? Did I do…do you not want—"

Puck quickly cut her off, "Quinn, I do want you." He lifted her chin to force her to look him in the eye, "God, I want you so badly. But it wouldn't be right. You're offering this if I agree to stay, and as much as I want to stay and see where this goes, I made a commitment to the Army. A commitment where, if I don't honor it or I don't show up tomorrow, I could be charged with yet another criminal offense and they would seriously come after me for that."

Quinn inhaled a deep breath as she tried to keep herself from crying. Puck sighed, untangling her arms from around her chest and pulling her into his arms, pausing to inhale the floral scent of her shampoo. "This doesn't have to be the end you know?" he questioned.

"What do you mean?" she asks, her voice cracking slightly, "You're leaving in the morning to go to Georgia and I'm going to school in August." She sniffs, allowing a tear or two to escape, "And I don't know what to do, but I don't want to lose you, Puck. I… I care about you."

"Well then we I guess that means we'll have to stay in touch," he states, a little more as-a-matter-of-factly as he was hoping for.

Quinn let out a frustrated laugh, "Really? I don't suppose they allow you to check Facebook while you're down there?" she replied, her retort dripping with more sarcasm than she meant to.

"No, but we could do the same thing Finn and Rachel are planning on doing," Quinn rolled her eyes at the mention of Rachel's name but Puck continued, "Yeah, it's this crazy thing called snail mail. It used to be more popular before the inventions of Facebook, text messaging and email. You like, write letters on paper, and then put them in the black mailbox that is out in front of your house, and then in 3-5 days, your letter reaches me, and vice versa."

She couldn't help but crack a smile at his smart-ass phrasing of his suggestion of writing letters to one another. She glanced up at him only to be met with that smirk he gets when he's trying to get a rise out of somebody. She couldn't help herself so she jumped at the opportunity to give him a little crap back, "So you're telling me you actually know how to write and spell? Wow, Puck, that's a big step! You think you could manage to write me?"

He snickered a bit at her jab, telling her, "I'll only show you some of my writing and spelling skills if you write me first." She smiled, before replying "Deal" to his offer.

Puck retracted his arms from around her, breaking their embrace and walked over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of his boxers and a well-worn 'McKinley Titans Football' t-shirt and handing them to Quinn. "Here, you can wear these to bed. That is, unless you would rather sleep naked. And if that's the case, I have no problem with that, and I should tell you I sometimes sleep in the nude as well," he said, shooting her that all-too-familiar smirk of his. Sometimes she wanted to slap him when she saw that shit-eating grin come out, other times she couldn't help but laugh at how self assured he was.

"I feel there will be plenty of time for that down the road, Mr. Puckerman," she says kinking her brow at him while she slips on his boxers, "But right now, these clothes are feeling awfully comfortable." She turns her back to him and slips out of his letterman jacket, replacing it on his desk chair before pulling his shirt over her head. "Come to think of it Puck, these boxers feel pretty new. Have you ever worn them before?" she asks.

Puck stripped out of his clothes, tossing them on the hamper in the corner of his room before settling onto his bed when he heard her question. He laughed, "Not gonna lie Princess, they're probably brand new. I don't like wearing boxers, or anything really. I'm usually a full-commando kinda guy."

Quinn rolls her eyes at him as she walks closer to the bed, crawling in beside Puck as he turns out the light on his night stand. She snuggles close to him, enjoying his warmth and how perfectly she fits against his body and he wraps his arms around her, holding her against him as he relaxes into the mattress.

"Mmm, this is really nice you know? I could get used to this," Quinn says, after relaxing into his chest. She hears him mumble something that sounds like an agreement, and she is satisfied he feels the same sense of contentment lying here with her. She draws her lower lip up into her mouth, biting at the corner, "So, when do you get to come back and visit?" she asks.

Puck thinks about it for a second and tries to add up all the training time in between now and when he gets his first leave, "Well, I know I'll probably miss Hanukkah this year, cuz I'll more than likely still be in specialty school, but I'll probably be back sometime around Christmas. The military is usually pretty good about giving into your Christian holidays and giving people time off."

She smiles and leans her head forward, kissing his chest lightly before turning her head to look at him in the darkness while smiling, "I can't wait to see you at Christmas then."

Puck looks down at her, stroking her hair a few times before responding, "Music to my ears," he smiles, "Christmas it is." He leans down to plant a kiss on her lips before laying back down and pulling her close, holding her and savoring the feel of her finally being in his arms.

He stays awake and waits until he feels her breathing even out and he is fairly sure she has fallen asleep before he dares to close his eyes and drift off.

_Tomorrow's gonna come too soon…_

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2: **_I just wanted to say thanks to all the readers for continuing to read along and keep up with the story. Sorry this chapter was a bit long, and I know some of the chapters are lengthy and I apologize if people think they are are bit much, but I feel there are a lot of hidden emotions behind the characters while they're rediscovering their feelings for one another while growing up into adults at the same time. Having said that, I hope the characters aren't too OOC right now. I know Puck is kinda wavering a bit, but I would like to think that after the emotional rollercoaster he and Quinn have been on already with their baby, that he always has a soft spot for her, and that he is finally growing up and maturing into a guy who can accept his feelings for a girl. _

_Well, I hope you liked it. I appreciate any comments, good or bad, and I will try to get another few chapters (hopefully shorter for your sake) written before finals consume my life for two weeks. Thanks!_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **_I just wanna give a quick apology for how long it has taken me to update the story. I had a pretty massive paper to finish up last week and I had to study for the five-hour final one of my professors gave us this past Saturday morning…let me just say, it was not fun. I think they hate us, scheduling 5 hour finals on a weekend. Anyway, my tests are almost done, and I have a few more chapters after this one already finished as well, so I'll be posting those shortly after this one._

_Also, I guess I should fill you in on some military-lingo so those of you who don't know what some of the terms mean don't have to go Google it to find out. The term BDU is short for Battle Dress Uniform. Basically, it's the fancy abbreviation for the term the military uses when referring to the camouflage uniforms soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines wear on pretty much a daily basis. It is what you think of when you think of 'military camo.' __Furthermore, it may help to give a brief overview of the organization of the Army. A __unit, section, or squad__ consists of anywhere from 8-14 people, a __platoon__ ranges from 20-50 people, a __company or a battery__is usually about 2-8 platoons or 80-200 people, and a __battalion __is 6-14 platoons or around 500-1500 people, and so on… I really only mention a platoon and a battalion in this chapter, but Special Forces teams usually operate within a unit or a squad, and are much smaller, so keep that in mind a few chapters from now. _

_So now that I have sufficiently bored you to death, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. _

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Tomorrow came far too soon…

As morning rays creep through the blinds, Puck looks down at his arms wrapped tightly around Quinn, admiring the way the sunlight splays across the bed and illuminates her blonde hair cascading over his chest, creating an ethereal golden halo around her face. _She is truly an angel_, he thinks, _my angel._

Sure she's had her moments in the past where she had been less than angelic and unkind to many of their former classmates, but to him she was always real. He had always been able to see through her armor, known where her chinks were and what buttons to push and she knew the same about him. He reasoned the difference between their relationship and their relationships with everyone else was the fact that deep down, the two of them were the same person. Both lost souls trying to find their way in the world. Both looking for that one thing, that one person to make them feel whole. To make them feel complete.

As he gazes down into her slumbering face, he feels a tug at his heart and knows he's found what he's looking for. He glances over at his clock to see that it's almost 7am, which means he has about another hour and a half until he needs to leave for his recruiter's office. He wants to savor this moment, savor the feel of her in his arms. He watches the gentle rise and fall of her back, her shoulders moving in sync with her shallow breathing. He feels the heat her body has been radiating all night long, and basks in the sight of the creamy, ivory skin of her arm against his tanned torso, and her dainty yet perfect hand wrapped around his side. He wishes he could continue lying like this with her forever but pretty soon the real world is going to catch up with them and drag them back to reality.

Quinn wakes to something shifting under her body and feels a warm pair of lips press a gentle kiss to the top of her head. She allows her eyelids to flutter open slowly, taking in the vast expanse of tan skin. She feels Puck run his fingertips along her exposed arm, leaving gooseflesh in their wake as he strokes her skin before pressing another tender kiss to her forehead and whispering "Morning sunshine."

"Mmm, good morning," she replies before placing a kiss to his chest. "What time is it?"

"It's about 7," Puck replies softly, "We still have a little time. I just didn't want you sleeping through all of it," he adds with a smile.

Quinn looks up at him and gives him a soft smile in return before placing a light kiss against his lips. He responds to the sensation, leaning down and kissing her again, this time more forcefully. The next hour is spend making out, talking about what lies ahead for the both of them, and simply enjoying the presence of one another before they have to get up and get going.

As 8 a.m. rolls around, Puck takes a quick shower while Quinn gets dressed, pulling on her clothes from the evening before. As she looks at the pile of Puck's clothes she wore to bed the previous night, now neatly refolded and placed on his dresser, she can't help but pick up the shirt he lent her and pull it up to her nose, inhaling his scent permanently left in the fabric. She looks at his bathroom door before folding the t-shirt back up and sticking it in her purse she left on Puck's bedroom floor. While she kind of felt bad about stealing it, she figured he wouldn't miss it and it's not like he was going to wear it at boot camp either. That and she figured it would be nice to have something of his that reminded her of him and smelled like him for those times when she missed Puck while he was away, similar to a security blanket of sorts.

After Puck had finished showering and getting ready, he grabbed his duffle and he and Quinn went downstairs to the kitchen for the breakfast his mother had already started making. His mom and little sister gave him a strange look when Quinn walked in with him, but his family liked Quinn and his mom knew they were involved again, so she let it slides this time as she understood they were enjoying what little time he had before he was shipped off.

After breakfast, they all loaded into Puck's mom's car and headed down to the recruiters office. They pulled into the lot right next to the Hudson and Hummel clan, who all came to support and see Finn off as the two boys left for Georgia. There were two other young men there they didn't recognize with their families awaiting the van to take them to in-processing and on to the airport to Ft. Benning, Georgia.

They make small talk with the Hudson-Hummel's until the recruiter arrives, signaling their time is up and they need to load up and head out. Finn begins to go down the line, starting with Burt, who tells him he can do this and to stay strong and kick ass. Kurt tells Finn he'll miss him, and that they'll work on this tragic fashion disaster known as military uniforms when he comes home. He hugs the two men, before proceeding on to his mother, who tries to hold back tears while she hugs her son and tells him his father would be proud. He finally makes it to Rachel, who is equally emotional, but manages to deliver one of her famous monologues about how she loves him and will always be here to support him. They kiss and she parts with a threat that he better write or he'll be in big trouble when he comes home.

Puck looks over at the display Finn's family is putting on and figures he should start saying his goodbyes as well. He hugs his little sister and tells her to be good for their mom. He tells her that if any one gives her any problems while he's away she should use all the self-defense moves Puck has shown her in the past, or threaten boys with the fact that her brother is a soldier and can come back and kick their asses if they're not nice. He moves on to his mother who kisses him on the cheek before pulling him into an embrace, telling him how proud she is of the young man he has grown to be. She utters a short Jewish blessing in Hebrew before pulling away, cupping his face and smiling, and telling him to take care of himself.

Puck smiles back at his mom, before looking over at Quinn. She catches his eye and quickly looks down before glancing back up at him, futilely trying to wipe away the tears now streaming down her face. He pulls her into a hug and places a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry Puck, I was really trying to keep it together for you, but I just couldn't," Quinn says softly, "We just found each other again and I just… I'm gonna miss you so much."

Puck pulls back slightly to look at her, offering a slight smile, "Baby, I'm going to miss you too. And I kinda feel like I'm getting robbed of my time with you, everything has gone by so fast." He pauses to hook his finger under her chin, pulling her face up before planting a gentle kiss on her lips, "But the good news is that training will go by just as fast, and before you know it, I'll be back. Q, this isn't goodbye. Think of it more as an "I'll see ya later,"" he finishes with a smile.

He brushes his thumb under both of her eyes, wiping away the remaining tears then leans in to kiss her again. Quinn loops her arms around Puck's shoulders, pulling him in closer and kissing him back. He holds her there, memorizing the way her body feels against his and her lips taste against his tongue.

"Alright gentlemen," the recruiter calls from the van, "sorry to cut this short, but we've got deadlines to meet and Uncle Sam expects punctuality. Let's load up."

As they break apart, Puck looks down into Quinn's eyes, cups her jaw and whispers "I'll see ya later" before pulling away. He picks up his duffel, smiles at his family and walks toward the van with Finn. They load up all their gear and climb in, waiving back at the people standing in the parking lot as the van pulls out onto the main road.

x-x-x-x-x

Quinn stands there rooted to that spot for several minutes after the van leaves. Puck's mom is her ride but she is talking to Burt, Carol and Kurt while Puck's sister is playing with a dog one of the other families brought along with them. She knows he is only gone for a little while and he will be able to come back and visit, but she can't help but think about the future, about after he finishes up boot camp and his initial training. Will he ever be stationed close to where she is? Where will the military send him? What about the two of them, what will happen then? All the questions and uncertainties are swirling around in her head, making her feel dizzy just standing there. She is snapped out of her trance when she hears an all too familiar voice begin speaking right next to her.

"So you and Noah are back together now I see?" Quinn turns her head slightly to see Rachel Berry standing next to her, facing the same way as her, looking in the direction the van just left. While Quinn is usually annoyed with anything that comes out of Rachel's mouth, she can't help but wonder herself if she and Puck are actually "together" now or if they're waiting to see where things go. Rachel lets out a dry chuckle before continuing, "No offense, but Finn and I were wondering when the two of you would finally see eye to eye and get back with one another. I mean it's obvious you both still care about each other. I'm sure everyone in our old glee club would be relieved that you worked out your issues and are finally with the person you both deserve to be with."

After hearing this, Quinn couldn't help herself, "Ok, first of all Treasure Trail, Puck and I don't have issues. We never have. And second, what do you mean the rest of the club would be relieved to see that we finally got the person we deserved to be with, cuz honestly I'm not in the mood right now to be taking cheap shots from you. My boyfriend just left to join the military and do God-knows-what for God-knows-how-long, and I have zero patience this morning." By the time she was finished, Quinn had turned herself to look squarely at Rachel, her cheeks bright red and her eyes welling up with tears of frustration and hurt with the rehashing of the fact that Puck was truly gone now.

Once Quinn had finished her rant, Rachel turned to face Quinn and stared up into her eyes. Remaining calm and collected, Rachel replied "First of all _Quinzilla_, there is no need for the name calling anymore. Let's both grow up and use our real names. I swear to you, it's not that difficult." Quinn knew Rachel was mocking her, but before she could get a word in edge-wise, Rachel continued, "And second, I didn't mean to insinuate anything negative when I said we would all be relieved to see you finally got the person you deserved. After everything you and Noah have gone through, what with the baby, the jealousy issues over previous relationships, and now this, the way the two of you have been able to overcome all of your personal obstacles and end up finding love again with one another is truly wonderful."

"Wait, what?" Quinn furrowed her brow in confusion, trying to take in Rachel's words. Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled at Quinn. "Have you ever heard of stepping back and looking at a relationship from an outsider's perspective to be able to truly see what is going on within the relationship? That those people around you can see things more objectively than you can sometimes? After Finn and I broke up the first time, I was forced to look at things from the outside in and all I wanted was to get him back. Surprisingly, when you and him were back together junior year and we were trying to write a song for regionals and you told me I didn't belong here, you helped push me to see what I wanted and could achieve in my future and helped me figure out a way to express how I felt about Finn from an outsiders perspective. Everyone in glee could see you and Puck still had a connection for the past few years. Even through the taunts, name-calling, and body language you exuded toward one another, it was easy to see you both still had a soft spot for the other. It was like the giant purple elephant in the room that people were waiting for you to realize existed and deal with." Rachel paused to stop and think for a moment, "Come to think of it, there were a lot of purple elephants in the choir room in regards to relationships. I mean the whole thing with Santana and Brittney, Finn and my break-up and subsequent reconciliation, the three way drama with Artie, Tina and Mike, Mr. Schue's relationship issues, the fact that Kurt, Blain, Karofsky and probably Sam all play for the same team…Geeze, we had a whole menagerie of purple animals crowding the room."

Quinn couldn't help but laugh at Rachel's long-winded monologue, "I have no idea what you just said, but I think I understand what you're trying to get at. It just sucks that Puck and I kinda reconnected when we did. We talked about it a little and both want to kick ourselves for wasting so much time."

Rachel sighed and patted Quinn on the back, "I know, and it is unfortunate that it took something as drastic as the boys enlisting in the Army to get you and Noah to see each other this way again. But now you know and you'll get to move on together once they finish their training."

Quinn offered Rachel a small smile before conceding, "I guess you're right Berry. Everything was going so well, I just hope these next few months don't change anything between us."

"They won't, and if anything distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?" Rachel offered before looking back up at the blonde. "Oh, and Quinn, my boyfriend just left for the Army to do 'God-knows-what for God-knows-how-long' too," she mocked lightly, "Just know that you're not alone in this. Even though we've never been the best of friends, I'll always be here for you in case you need a little extra support getting through this." Quinn smiled when Rachel used her own words against her to make a point, realizing that they had a kinship of sorts now that both of their boyfriends had enlisted together. "We Army girlfriends have to stick together, ya know," Rachel finished while patting the blonde on the shoulder, smiling up at Quinn before walking off toward the Hudson-Hummel car she arrived in.

Quinn thought about it for a moment, absorbing the fact that, although she had been cruel and mean to Rachel over the years, the brunette was offering her friendship and support from someone in her same situation. She smiled to herself and couldn't believe she was about to do this, but she knew it was the right thing to do. She called out to Rachel, "Hey Berry, same goes for you. We girlfriends need to stick together."

Rachel turned around while she walked back to the car, smiling and nodding at Quinn before climbing into the car and leaving with the Hudson-Hummel family. Puck's mom called Quinn's name and asked her if she was ready to go, and with one final glance in the direction the van went, she nodded back to Ms. Puckerman, climbed in the car and they headed back toward their homes.

* * *

><p><em>Georgia – 2 Months Later<em>

"Dude, I still can't believe how big of a tool I look like without the hair!" Finn complained as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, "I mean, I never thought I cared that much, but seriously, not a fan."

Puck just laughed to himself, as the two boys stood in front of the mirrors in the bathroom of their barracks shaving. "You've been complaining about it for the past two months, Finn. I'm gonna go back to calling you Finnessa if you keep bitching like a girl about your hairdo." Puck taps his razor on the side of the sink before making another pass down his jaw, "Besides, it's not like your hair was all that cool before. Now the Puckasaurus' 'do on the other hand, was awesome, but it's not the first time I've had to shave the 'hawk off."

"Yeah, yeah Puckahontas," Finn shot back, "thank God they shaved your head. It was starting to look like a ugly animal crawled up there and died."

"Oh, touché Hudson," Puck joked, smiling as he punched Finn on the arm. They finished shaving and collected all of their toiletries off of the sinks. "So whadda ya think is on the agenda today?" Puck asked as the two boys walked back toward their bunks.

"Not sure man, but I hope we don't have to do the gas chamber again. That thing sucked!" Finn complained, shuttering as he recalled their experience in the chamber a week ago when the instructor felt it was necessary for them to find out first-hand what it was like to be exposed to tear gas. The experience resulted in four of their platoon members passing out and the rest of them coughing so hard, their lungs felt raw for days.

"Me either, but whatever it is, I say bring it on!" Puck replied with a smirk as he put his shaving kit in its rightful place inside his footlocker. After they had departed Lima and finished up all of their in-processing documentation and medical exams in Columbus, they were put on a transport flight to Ft. Benning, Georgia. As soon as they arrived, all the men were shuffled through a line where their duffels were taken from them, rifled through and they were handed back their toothbrushes before being escorted on down the line. They were corralled into the barbers where pretty much every man got his head shaved, then they were fitted into their camo BDUs and issued uniforms. They were pushed out the door, shown their barracks and were told they had 10 minutes to put away their gear and make their beds according to the diagrams and directions left on each bunk. After they had finished and their time had elapsed, they were expected to report outside to the yard for the preliminary physical training, or PT, evaluation.

Puck and Finn both enjoyed the challenges the Army had thrown at them thus far. They excelled at the preliminary PT evaluation, and had come in first and second place at every other evaluation they had, switching places every once in a while, but it was always close. They had absolutely dominated the obstacle course several minutes before the rest of their platoon did, and scored the highest marks during the partner orienteering exercises. After the drill instructors realized how well they worked together, they began to assign Puck and Finn to separate teams for the team leadership activities and competitions, but the friendly rivalry and competitive nature between the boys only added fuel to their fires and they helped push their respective teams to first and second place finishes during the recent battalion activities against the rest of the post.

They came to realize that boot camp was essentially one big proving ground of competition, and while they all learned the basics and essentials of being a soldier, having top marks at the end of basic definitely paid off as the top three recruits overall earned an additional rank starting out, extra leave time, additional privileges, and were usually rewarded with their first choice of training program and location.

Puck and Finn made it their goal to graduate in the top of their class, and while they both weren't exactly "academics" so to speak, they could certainly compete physically with the best of them. In fact, at the end of their second month there, Puck and Finn were ranked first and second respectively out of their 30 person platoon, and their platoon had far surpassed all the other platoons in the nearly 1000+ person battalion of new soldier recruits on post, essentially ranking Puck and Finn as the top recruit candidates on base. They had been counting down the days until graduation from basic training, and they were thrilled that all they had left were two final team exercises and their final PT evaluation, and neither Puck nor Finn were planning on letting up any time soon.

It hadn't been easy, but they worked their butts off training and listening to their instructors, working as hard as they could to help lead their other platoon members in a similar fashion by getting everyone to work together to achieve what they had. It came naturally for Finn, as he was the quarterback of the football team and the captain of the glee club. He had thought the latter was the greater challenge, as there was always some sort of drama going on with all the different personalities, but he enjoyed being a leader. It was who he was.

Puck, on the other hand, had surprised Finn. Hell, Puck surprised himself when it came to being a natural leader. If anything, he was actually out-shining Finn in the leadership department. Instead of leading through fear or intimidation as he used to in high school, he had an uncanny ability to demand respect, excellence and hard work from his other platoon members, and he was able to push them in a way that was forceful yet still positive. His drill instructors tried to beat him down and get to him, yelling at him and making him do all sorts of push-ups, sit-ups, up-downs and whatever other type of 'up' activity they had for whatever reason they could think of, but even they started to lay off him a bit, realizing the resilience and potential they saw in Puck.

The boys had just finished straightening out their bunks when they heard a loud cry from the door across the barracks. "Attention on deck!" a recruit yelled, as soon as they saw their higher-ranking drill instructors walk through the doors. The boys quickly hustled toward the front of their bunks and snapping to attention, their backs perfectly straight, eyes trained forward and arms pulled tightly against their sides.

The drill instructors walked up and down the rows, inspecting each recruit's area and footlocker, making sure everything was pristine and in its proper place. Finally, several of the instructors left and moved on to other platoon barracks to finish conducting inspections while one stayed behind. "At ease," he called, and all the recruits visibly relaxed, still standing straight up with their eyes trained forward, but they relaxed their arms behind them and allowed their feet to part and stand in a more comfortable stance. "Mail call, recruits!" he yelled, and Puck couldn't help but smile as he looked across the aisle to see Finn doing the same.

They learned rather quickly that there was a lot to love and fear about mail calls. The third day on base they were all allowed to make a one minute phone call home to tell their families what their address was and that was it. Their drill instructors not only timed them, but would hang up for them if they said anything more than their address. Puck and Finn had both called their moms with the hopes that their mothers would pass along their addresses to Quinn and Rachel and the rest of their friends who asked for it as well.

While they loved receiving mail, it was something to fear as well. For every letter that was not addressed correctly or envelope that was a different color other than white or for everything that was sent in a care package instead of a letter, the person who received the mail had to do 100 push-ups for every error and the rest of the platoon did 50 push-ups as well. They always hoped that not too many people's friends and families had messed up, but there were always a few. Puck couldn't help think back to a few less than pleasant mail call incidents of the past.

_The second week in, a kid's friends sent him a care package with three full-size bags of Doritos in it. The whole platoon did 200 push-ups for each bag. There was another kid whose grandmother couldn't get the address right to save her life, but while the platoon understood things like that happen sometimes, the kid's grandma kept sending him sticks of gum in the mail even after he asked her to stop, causing the platoon to do 50 additional push-ups for every stick of gum she sent that the drill instructors could feel inside the envelope. _

_A letter Puck received once caused the whole platoon to do push-ups as well, and he felt terrible when the instructor made the group do 100 instead of the typical 50 for what was written on the back of the envelop. Puck can distinctly remember being called up to the front of the platoon and the instructor looking at reverse of the envelope before reading off "Dear Army Drill Instructors, go get laid or go fuck yourself. Either way, I suggest you pull the stick outta yo asses before you have a heart attack from all that yelling. Love always, Santana Lopez." Puck scowled and cursed Santana as the drill instructor gave the platoon an evil grin before making them drop and give him 100, adding on an additional 100 for Puck when they had finished. Once he was done and his arms felt like jelly, he took his letter back to his bunk and opened it only to see a card with the words "How much trouble did I get you in for that one? Gotcha good, Fucker! Hope you're not sucking too bad," with Santana's signature at the bottom. He looked over at Finn and growled, "I know she's a girl, but I'm going to get that bitch so bad when I get home… Fucking Santana!" Finn glanced back at him as he opened his letter from Rachel, "Dude, I'll help you if you let me know when and where. Totally not cool San. Not cool at all."_

But with the mail always came good things, namely letters from friends and family updating them on their lives back in Ohio or wherever they may be and offering them words of encouragement and support. Over the past several weeks, he had received quite a bit of mail from his friends, and was shocked at how much it meant to him that they all were thinking about him and Finn enough to send letters. He got one once from Mike and Artie with pictures of the boys flipping off Ms. Sylvester behind her back. Britt had sent he and Finn a drawing of her and the ducks she fed in the park which made both of the boys laugh until their stomachs hurt. Kurt had sent a few to Finn that was addressed to both of the boys, and even Tina and Mercedes sent the boys a few postcards from New York once they had moved in. While he initially thought it might be lame to start getting letters from people other than his mom and sister and Quinn, he learned to appreciate hearing from his friends. He truly looked forward to mail days.

Of course the other reason he looked forward to mail days was because of her letters. Quinn held true on her word, and once Puck's mom had let her know what his address was, she had written him once, and sometimes twice a week, since he arrived. Her letters were always like a breath of fresh air to him, and they always managed to lift his spirits and renew his drive and desire to do well here at basic. Her first few letters were somewhat generic, pretty much updating him on the happenings of Lima and all of their friends and concluding with her usual "I miss you, love Quinn." He'd be the first to admit most of his letters in return were somewhat generic and boring as well, detailing what the Army was making them do, bitching about some of the harder stuff and telling her about the new people he had met.

But lately, her letters had been getting better, a little deeper and more descriptive about what was going on in her life. Her past few letters had gotten longer and she began to express herself more, detailing drama with her mom and her friend and elaborating on her feelings toward him a bit more than before. It always made Puck smile when he read one of her letters and her more recent letters had only further excited him to get new ones.

His name was called and he marched up to the front of the platoon to collect his stack. He was happy the drill instructor didn't stop him this time, as that usually meant push-ups if he did, so he turned about-face and marched back toward his rack. He truly felt grateful to say he got a stack of mail each mail day, as there were some guys who only got a letter or two here and there. He felt somewhat guilty for them, but it was nice to know he had plenty of people supporting him back home. The platoon only had to do 100 push-ups for errors, which was probably a record for them, but once they finished and the drill instructor left, everyone relaxed and tore into their mail.

This week he got another letter from Brittney and Santana. Britt had drawn him a picture of a giant cat and Santana had written an equally enthusiastic note on the back. While San usually came off as a bitch, he knew that she was being supportive just by sending him stuff, even if the words she used weren't all that kind or encouraging to the average bystander. He got a letter from his mom and sister and was pretty thrilled to see they smuggled him a piece of gum inside the thick envelope. His mom told him to save it for when he went to temple, so he could enjoy it there and not get into as big of trouble. Puck had been going to temple regularly now, as it was kind of the only time the recruits were "off the clock" so to speak. They were allowed to sit and attend religious services and those were really the only times they had to themselves during basic training, so Puck always made sure to go and enjoy his time off. He may have learned a thing or two while he was there too.

And then he saw the familiar scroll of handwriting on the last letter in the pile. Like all other times he received mail, he always waited to open Quinn's last. He looked over at Finn sprawled out on his bed with a goofy smile on his face while he was reading a letter Rachel had sent. Puck smiled at himself before shaking his head, "Dude, we're so sad sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Finn replied. Puck chuckled before answering, "Look at us, we get ridiculously excited over a piece of paper from our girlfriends. It's just kinda funny how whipped we are."

Finn looked over at him, scoffing "Just a piece of paper? This is practically a life-line to the outside world! I need college football scores, I need to know my mom, Burt and Kurt are ok, and I need to know how my girl is doing. She's already lined up an audition for a Broadway gig, ya know," Finn finished beaming with pride. Puck rolled his eyes before continuing to rip open the top of Quinn's envelope before Finn cleared his throat and lowered his voice, "and besides, there is nothing wrong with a little whipping now and then, if you know what I mean Puckerman." Finn arched his brow at Puck before chuckling lightly to himself and lying back on his bunk, continuing where he left off in his own letter.

"What? I don't believe you for a second, Hudson," Puck retorted, "There is no way Berry would go for that."

Finn glanced up from his letter and smirked at Puck, "Why do you think I always had plans with Rachel this summer?" When Puck just stared at him dumbfounded, Finn just shrugged and smiled wider at his friend, "What can I say, my girl is full of surprises." Finn pulls the letter back up in front of his face as Puck continues to stare, "Don't worry Puckerman, your time will come. I'm sure Quinn'll be a hellcat in the sack when you go back and visit."

Puck heard that last remark and couldn't help but pick up the first thing within his reach, hurling the small tube of toothpaste at Finn's bunk and smacking him in the arm, "Don't you even think about that. If I ever hear the words 'Quinn' and 'sack' come out of your mouth again Husdon, you're a dead man."

Finn flings the tube of toothpaste back at Finn laughing, "Now now, Noah, don't be jealous. And simmer down, I've got my own girl to take care of, you worry about yours."

"Asshole" Puck snorts as he finally pulls Quinn's letter out of the envelope and begins to read.

_Dear Puck, _

_I know this is probably one of the last letters you will receive from me while at basic. By my calendar, you're almost done there and will graduate here in a little less than two weeks! Congratulations! I knew you could do it! You have no idea how proud I am of you, and of Finn, for pursuing this and working hard to push through all the crap those instructors put you through. I have no doubt that this experience has already made you a stronger person and I can't wait to see how much you have grown and matured __when I finally see you again._

_These past few months have been strange without you. Most days are ok or boring even, as there was not a whole lot to do in Lima this summer. However, some days are rougher than others and I wish you were here for me to complain to and to hold me tight and tell me everything will turn out ok in the end. I saw Beth again the other day, and this time I actually went up and said hello to Shelby. Beth is absolutely beautiful, Puck! She has my hair and eyes and your nose and smile and she is absolutely perfect. I told Shelby what you were up to and where I was headed in the fall and she congratulated us both on our respective paths. She also offered to let us drop by every now and then to see Beth if we wanted, so I told her to let me know if she ever needed a free babysitter over breaks and such. Honestly, as much as I was dreading seeing her again, especially given my reaction after last Thanksgiving, I really think this is a good thing. It's not exactly closure, but it does take away some of the questions and 'what ifs' that have been plaguing me since I signed those papers two years ago. I hope we can maybe work something out over Christmastime where you can see her too, that is if you want to._

Puck's eyes widened in surprise at this new revelation concerning Beth. If Shelby was ok with them seeing her, he wouldn't miss out on an opportunity to meet the little girl if he could help it. He had always been curious and has his fair share of "I wonders" rolling around in his head with regards to their daughter, and he thought it may give him some piece of mind to finally meet her and find out for himself how she was doing. He read on.

_Britt, Santana and I just moved into our new apartment on campus a few weeks ago. We've been so busy with cheer camp and getting ready for the upcoming football season that we have hardly had time to unpack until this past weekend. The first three pictures I enclosed are some pictures of the finished product for you to check out. I didn't want to take pictures of just boxes but I knew I wanted to send you some photos so I made those two come out of their room and help me get stuff done. Living with them has been interesting, and thank God I chose the room on the far side of the apartment and the other two took the rooms across the living room from me as I don't think I could stand the noise they make while…well, you know. Needless to say, it is somewhat disturbing. _

He laughed, trying to imagine that scene, and as hot as Britt and Santana would be together, he had to side with Quinn on this one. He flipped through the first three pictures: the first being a shot of their living room with San, Britt and Quinn standing in the middle giving a thumbs-up sign, the second was an all too appropriate pic of Santana flipping off the camera as she was cooking in their small kitchen, and the third was a picture Quinn took of her room. It was black and pink everywhere and it practically screamed Quinn as soon as he saw it. _Chicks_, he thought, _why all the pink? _He continued reading.

_Speaking of slightly disturbing, I had coffee with Rachel before she took off to New York. We felt it was somewhat necessary to get along and be friends since you and Finn are doing what you boys do in the Army, so we Army girlfriends need to stick together, as Rachel says. I can't believe I'm about to write this and commit this to paper, but she's really not all that bad. We actually had an ok conversation, and we've Facebooked once or twice since she moved to New York. I know she misses Finn, but I know I still miss you more…I am a little biased though._

Puck couldn't believe what he was reading, he actually had to re-read that paragraph a few times to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Quinn and Rachel actually sitting down to have coffee? And nobody was slushied, beaten up or left crying? And they've kept in touch? Holy shit, has hell frozen over? He was stunned for a moment, but figured he would ask Finn if Rachel had said anything later.

_Truth is, I miss you like hell Puck. I wake up every morning wishing you were what I was hugging instead of my body pillow…you're more comfortable anyway. I'll admit I stole the football shirt you let me sleep in the last night I stayed at your house and I sometimes wear it to bed just to feel closer to you. It still smells like you and it makes me feel like you're still nearby. I really care about you and I know that you're out there being the badass soldier you were meant to be, I just hope you do realize how proud of you I am and how excited I am for when you finally get to come home. I know you don't have an exact date yet, but I have started a rough countdown calendar on our fridge, crossing off the days til you're on break. Also, your mom called me the other day to let me know about your graduation from basic training. I know she's planning on attending, and as much as I wish I could be there, we have a game against Notre Dame that weekend, and it's Homecoming so there is no way in hell coach will let me off the hook for that one. Otherwise, I would be there in a heartbeat. _

_I know we haven't exactly said it yet since we have been seeing each other again recently, but after seeing Beth again and missing you like crazy, I felt it was way past time to respond back to what you told me at the hospital after I had Beth. I love you, Puck. Part of me always has, I was just too prideful and hurt after we gave her up to admit it to you. Being without you these past months has allowed me the time to really reflect on us and what you mean to me, and I'm tired of trying to hide how I feel. I love you, I really do. I understand if you don't feel the same way just yet, but the way you treated me and supported me throughout my pregnancy, and high school, and even the way you turned me down the last night you were in Lima has opened my eyes to how wonderful of a man you truly are and how lucky I am to have you in my life. _

_So, to conclude this novel of a letter I've written, let me say again that I love you, I miss you, I am so incredibly proud of you, and I hope you enjoy your graduation gift! Check out the last pic I enclosed… it was Santana's idea and in my opinion, she's not a half-bad photographer either. Hope you like it ;)_

_All my love always, _

_Quinn_

Puck read that last line and about swallowed his tongue. He flipped back through the few pictures Quinn had enclosed, wanting to face-palm himself for missing the last one in the stack the first time he looked through them. There, at the bottom of all the photos, was a picture of Quinn sprawled out provocatively on her bedspread in the skimpiest pair of black lace panties and matching bra he thought he had ever seen. He knew his eyes were huge and his mouth was probably hanging wide open, but at this point, he could care less. It was probably the hottest thing he had seen in a while, and after living with 29 other dudes for the past two months, it was more than a welcome reprieve.

Finn glanced over and asked what the look was for and Puck couldn't help but give him his trademark shit-eating grin before replying, "Your girl may be into the whips and chains, but mine seems to enjoy being captured on film," waggling his eyebrows as he takes one more long look at the picture before putting it back in the envelope with the letter and locking it in his footlocker.

"No way," Finn stares at him, "No f-ing way, dude. Quinn's not like that. No way."

Puck just laughed, as the men gathered their gear and headed out the door toward the forest for their next exercise, "Hey, just remember that's what I said about Berry less than 20 minutes ago." Finn shook his head in disbelief. Puck patted his friend on the back a few times, "Let's just face it, our women are pretty fucking awesome."

"No joke, we're pretty lucky bastards," Finn supplied, chuckling at Puck's exclamation.

"That we are, Finny Boy, that we are. Now you ready to dominate this shit and hold our spots at one and two for the rest of basic?" Puck asked as they neared the clearing everyone was supposed to report to for their next exercise. Finn smiled and shook his head in agreement as the drill instructor began briefing them on their assignment that day. Shortly thereafter, the teams raced off into the woods to begin their orienteering exercise and "live fire" paintball challenge, simulating a wooded combat area.

Puck and his team raced through the woods toward their "base" and established a perimeter. He loved these types of exercises, as he was practically the king of paintball warfare, thinking he should have earned the title back in high school. This exercise was going to be a cake-walk for his team, and he couldn't wait to add another winning notch to his belt, helping him get one step closer to graduating on top of his recruiting class, something he couldn't possibly fathom ever happening in an academic setting.

* * *

><p>The remaining two weeks of basic training had been a whirlwind of little to no sleep, camping out in the woods, being pushed to the limits of fatigue and finally culminated in a five mile "Warrior Run" from their designated training zones back to their barracks. They had undergone live-fire exercises, with real bullets and explosions this time, forced to take target practice at multiple shooting ranges under high-stress situations to simulate combat situations, and been directed to run for long distances at a time, carrying their gear in their packs that weighed in at close to ninety pounds a pack. All those who fell or who did not finish out, were dropped, while those who persevered were rewarded with a hot shower, a hearty meal and the promise of graduation from Army Basic Training.<p>

Puck and Finn not only completed this "hell week" of sorts, but they once again finished first, leading their entire platoon across the finish line after their "Warrior Run" before any of the other platoons. The move solidified their group with the recognition of "Top Platoon," the reward of which being extra leave time tacked on to their file, as well as a decoration to display on their chest ribbon they earned for completing boot camp. They would be allowed to wear their ribbon on their breast plate signifying their graduation from basic, but their platoon would be given an additional "E" decoration to place on their ribbon, signifying "excellence" in their completion of basic training

As top recruit graduates, Puck and Finn were also to be rewarded for their job well done. They were granted extra leave time, first choice in technical school training, a few additional privileges such as leading the battalion in their graduation march and exercise for the families who came to watch, and would be awarded an additional rank and stripe upon graduation, allowing them to start off at the rank of Private First Class, instead of just Private.

After finishing their Warrior Run and attending their final debriefing, the boys in the platoon all returned to their barracks to put on their uniforms and prepare for their graduation march and maneuvers. Everyone was excited to see their families after the past few months, and many of the men shook hands and congratulated one another, wishing each other well in their future positions, as many of them would go on to different specialty training and probably never see each other again once they left basic. Puck and Finn congratulated their other platoon members, and then helped one another out with their uniforms, making sure their decorations, name plates, insignia and berets were on straight. Once they were satisfied and it was time to head out, Finn called the whole room to attention and Puck moved to the front of the barracks. Finn flanked him on his left and they proceeded to march their platoon out to the parade field where graduation would take place.

With their platoon in its designated area, Puck and Finn reported to the front of the battalion and listened to the words of encouragement spoken by the General in charge of the basic training school at Ft. Benning. When it was time, Puck and Finn lead the entire battalion in a march around the parade area, and through a series of maneuvers before marching in front of the stands their families, drill instructors and the General were seated in. As they drew near the General's position, Puck called for all the newly minted soldiers to turn their heads and face the stands and raise their right arms in a smart and precise salute, before marching past and back to their designated areas on the field. The General then congratulated them and dismissed the battalion, allowing the soldiers to meet up with their families.

It didn't take long to find his mother in the crowd, as she was sitting next to Burt and Carol Hummel, and Kurt stood out like a sore thumb in his electric blue Marc Jacobs jacket. He was a bit jealous to see Rachel was able to make it down to see Finn, and watching her fawn all over Finn and his uniform was just making it worse. He hugged his mom and his little sister before leading them off to where he could pick up his green duffel and leave base to spend what few days he had enjoying seeing his family again before reporting to technical school.

He couldn't help but notice his mom glance over at him every few minutes, hardly suppressing the giddy grin that spread across her face each time. He finally looked back at her and asked what was so funny, and she shook her head and started to tear up when she told him how grown up he looked and how proud of him she was. He wanted to roll his eyes and ask if people saying they were proud of him was just a polite way of acknowledging what a screw up he had been all through high school, but he decided to leave it and enjoy the fact that finally he had done something in his life that he and his family could take pride in.

As the Puckerman family drove off the base, Puck took one last glance around, knowing he would be back here in a few days for Combat Weapons and Logistics School and then hopefully Airborne and Air Assault School for the next four months if he was selected, a feat he had every intention of completing. As they drove, he saw other recruits going through the same basic training he just completed, and caught small glimpses of soldiers training for their specialties and Puck found himself anxious to see what specialty school was like. He was most excited for the prospect of getting to jump out of airplanes and blow stuff up, but he couldn't help that twinge of excitement that came with facing the unknown.

He lived for this energy and loved the excitement and strategy needed to complete all the tasks, evaluations, and exercises they presented, and surprisingly Puck realized he truly thrived off of the structure and order the Army had brought to his life already. While he was only finishing out basic training and still had a long way to go to achieve his goal of becoming Army Special Forces and serving as an Airborne Ranger, he knew he made the right decision all those months ago by enlisting. He knew he did the right thing for his future, and he couldn't wait to see what kind of challenge they would throw at him next.

* * *

><p><strong>AN 2:**_ So, this chapter turned out to be a lot longer and a lot more about Puck and Finn's experience in Basic Training than I originally anticipated. I promise there will be more Puck/Quinn in the next chapter, and we may get a little taste of some of the drama to come between the two of them as well._

_So please hang in there with me, and I'm planning on having the next chapter out by tomorrow. I really hope you're enjoying it, and feel free to let me know what you think, positive or negative, I appreciate all critique. :)_


	7. Chapter 7

_This chapter has more Puck and Quinn, I swear! _

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

It had been almost a month since Quinn had written her last letter to Puck, and she was starting to worry that something had happened to him or that he had forgotten about her. She had poured quite a bit of her heart into that last letter she sent him and it took a lot admitting that she loved him. To her, it didn't matter if she had said it in a letter or to his face, it was a big step but she put her heart out there and did it. She really cared about him and wanted him to know she was thinking about him, even going out on a limb and doing something that was totally not her style by including that racy photo with the lingerie all in the hopes he would see just how much she was thinking about him.

Santana had convinced her to take the picture once Quinn told her she was thinking about putting her cheerleading photo in with the other shots of their apartment. Santana just shook her head and started laughing at Quinn, leaving the blonde girl puzzled and pissed off at her friend's reaction.

"_What the hell, Santana? I simply asked for your honest opinion you laugh at me. Awesome friend you are." Quinn seethed, her face flushed with anger. _

"_Calm down Tubbers, I just love your naivety sometimes." Santana replied, calming herself as she looked back up to see Quinn glaring at her. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you do look pretty hot in your cheer pic, and that skirt does wonders for your legs, but why not send Puck a picture of you that'll make his eyes pop out of his head instead of one he can pass around showing all his Army boys what a good little cheerleader his girlfriend is?"_

_Quinn jerked her head back slightly and scrunched her brow in confusion as she looked at Santana. "Look Q, all I'm saying is he's probably been surrounded by a giant sausage-fest for the past few months, so why don't you send him a picture that'll really surprise him. You're already putting a picture of the three of us in there, so why not send a pic of just you that'll, oh… add a little spice to his day. You know, something to get a 'rise' outta him so to speak?" Santana chuckled darkly as she looked across the room at Quinn._

"_Um, well, what did you have in mind?" Quinn asked tentatively._

"_Oh, maybe just a little personal boudoir photo shoot, nothing crazy. And the best part is the sexy lingerie set you get to treat yourself and Puck to. It's like the gift that keeps on giving," Santana smirked as she waited for Quinn's reaction. "You know, I also happen to be a pretty good photographer myself, if you wanted a little help, free of charge." Quinn hesitated for a moment before Santana cut in again, "And besides Blondie, I've seen you wearing a lot less than just a bra and panties on more than one occasion, and while you're hot, you're nowhere near as smokin' as Britts. Oh, and I'm taken, so you better keep your hands to yourself," she finishes as she walks toward the door, glancing over her shoulder at Quinn, "I'll be waiting in the car. First stop, Victoria's Secret." Santana closes the door behind her, leaving a stunned Quinn standing in the living room. _

_Santana had a point, she thought, and I do want to do something special for Puck for his graduation. Oh what the hell, might as well. She grabbed her purse and headed out the door to find Santana and before she knew it, she had bought not one, but two fairly revealing sets of lingerie. _

_Quinn tried on both sets and after deciding on which one she liked the best, she walked out into her room where Santana was waiting with her digital camera. After a few attempts to get situated and having Santana glare at her and tell her to try and look sexy, she found a position that she and Santana could agree on and San began snapping away. Quinn felt extremely awkward, and after a few shots, Santana lowered the camera and glared at Quinn, "Ok, so even if you're incapable of striking a sexy pose, just pretend like I'm Puck and you're posing for him." She finally got herself to relax enough to get a few decent pictures, and once they had decided on their favorite and printed it out, she put it in the envelope, sealed it and stuck it in the mail before she could change her mind._

Now, however, Quinn was having second thoughts about sending the photo and saying what she had in the letter. While she hoped Puck had liked the picture, she prayed the drill instructors hadn't opened the letter in front of everyone like they did sometimes and she had gotten him in trouble. Just thinking of that possibility made her face heat up and she was absolutely mortified at the thought. However, the thought that frightened her more was the chance that he didn't like what she had said in the letter. Whether it was the mention of Beth or dropping the 'L' bomb, she knew she put a lot of stuff in there that he may have needed time to process and digest before getting back to her.

She knew his mom and sister had flown out a few weeks ago to attend his graduation from basic, and Rachel informed her of Finn's family's plans for the weekend but that had been a few weeks ago and still nothing from Puck. She kept telling herself that he was probably busy getting settled into technical school and learning all it took to become specialized in what he wanted to do, but the fear that he was forgetting her grew with each passing day.

Finally, after what seemed like the longest month of her life, she received a letter in the mail addressed to her in Puck's familiar scrawl. She snatched it off of the counter and ran into her room, shutting the door behind her for some privacy and sank onto her bed, her fingers barely able to grasp the edges as she was filled with anticipation and a slight fear as to what this letter could contain. As soon as she opened the envelope and pulled the paper out, a photo dropped out onto her lap. She picked it up and studied it, an involuntary smile curling her lips as she stared at the figure looking back at her.

Seated in front of a blue wall, the United States flag on one side of him, the flag of the Army on the other, sat Noah Puckerman. He was wearing his full dress uniform, complete with his dress beret, decorations and insignia all perfectly straight and in place. Even though he didn't offer the camera a full smile, the look he gave wasn't entirely serious as well, offering a slight upturned smirk instead. His warm chocolate brown eyes exuded an incredible intensity, and she felt as though he was staring right back at her through the picture. As she allowed her eyes to roam all over the picture, she couldn't help but notice how much confidence and pride his posture and face radiated. She knew he was the same boy she fell for, only now, looking at this picture, she couldn't wait to see the man he was becoming.

She found a frame with an old picture of her and a few Cheerios in it and quickly replaced the picture with the new one of Puck, setting it on her nightstand before returning to her bed to read his letter.

_Dear Quinn, _

_I'm really sorry it's been a while since I last wrote you. The last few weeks at basic were crazy. We were given our last assignment, a survival exercise, where we were essentially turned loose in the woods and had to protect our bases while trying to infiltrate other platoon's bases. It was basically one big war-game simulation that lasted the whole week, and I'm pretty sure I got a total of 20 hours of sleep in a seven day period of time. They pushed us, but Finn and my platoon finished first, helping Finn and me secure top marks and top ranks at graduation. I was selected to lead the march at graduation and while it sounds lame, it felt really good to graduate on top for once. _

_It was good to see my ma and sis again too. And catching up with Finn's family was pretty fun too. I'll admit I was a little jealous to see Rachel with Finn, but I understand you have your obligations just like I have mine. I just hope it was a decent football game. _

She felt her heart tug a little when she read that he was jealous of Finn and Rachel. She hoped that he knew how much she wanted to be there for him, but her coach wouldn't let her leave. Quinn tried multiple times to ask for the time off, but she was only a freshman and very little pull on the squad still, but it pained her she couldn't make it that weekend. She sighed and continued reading.

_I just got settled in at technical school. Still in Georgia at Ft. Benning but I wrote my new address on the front of the envelope just in case you wanted it. We jumped back in pretty quick, our break was pretty short, only a few days but it was a nice breather. Now we get to learn the fun stuff, like how to use all sorts of sweet weapons, learn how to fight in close-quarters, practice planning and implementing various raids and missions, and best of all, this is the part where I get to blow stuff up! Pretty badass huh?_

_I also wanted to say that I am glad you ran into Shelby, and if it works out and she needs someone to watch Beth sometime over Christmas break, I would definitely be interested in going over there and hanging out with our daughter. I really would like to get to know her a little bit. We'll have to place bets on whether she'll be an angelic good-girl like her mother or a rebellious trouble-maker like her father __. _

Quinn smiled fondly at the mention of their little girl. It was a relief to know that he wanted to take Shelby up on her offer to get to know the Beth a bit better, and while they would not be able to disclose who they really were to her until either she was eighteen or Shelby felt it was ok to do so, it would be nice to watch her grow up, even if it's from afar.

_And Q, you have no idea how long I have been waiting to hear you say that you love me back. I think I've loved you since the day I first saw you when I was six. I felt what it was like to love you that night we got together for the first time sophomore year. I knew I loved you when we were in the hospital after having Beth, and I have loved you ever since… especially now. You're my Quinn. You're my sunshine, and that keeps me going when the days here drag on and the job starts to suck. So I love you babe, no matter what._

_I've gotta run, but I hope all is well. Tell Britt I said hey and tell Santana I said "Fuck You Very Much" for the card she sent earlier during basic that got me into a shit-ton of trouble… but then again, on second thought, give Santana a huge hug for me for being such a fantastic photographer. I tossed in one of my official pictures they made me take, but it's not nearly as awesome as the last picture I got from you. I thought my eyes were messing with me for a while there, but holy shit that was hot. Don't worry, while I do take it out and stare at it quite often, it's hidden in a secret place, locked away from other people. But I gotta tell ya, should you and Santana decide to catch another whim and decide to do another photo shoot, feel free to go ahead and get rid of any unnecessary articles of clothing next time ;)._

_Miss ya babe,_

_Puck_

Quinn felt a blush creep up as she read his last paragraph, smiling to herself and rolling her eyes at the last sentence, before putting the letter back into the envelope and setting it in the drawer in her nightstand. She fell back against her pillows and let out a loud sigh, wishing he could just come home already and thinking about what he had said about a second photo shoot. She couldn't believe she was actually seriously contemplating doing it again, and while she knew Santana would be game, she wasn't so sure she could pull it off. She pulled her pillow close against her chest and allowed herself to relax slightly.

She glanced at her clock and suddenly shot up from her bed, realizing she had fifteen minutes to get all the way across campus to the study hall room for her first tutoring appointment. Quinn never had a problem getting good grades. In fact, she graduated third in her high school class, and even when she got to college she was able to get good marks despite their crazy cheer schedule and all of the travel involved. Usually freshmen athletes are required to attend athletic study hall to do their homework and make up for the classes they miss when they're on the road during season. However, Quinn was excused from having to do study hall after the first month of classes as she had proven to be more than capable of keeping up with her class work without it.

But she wasn't able to escape that easily. Turns out, the head football coach was friends with their cheer coach, and his highly-touted, star freshman quarterback was not doing so hot in some of his classes. So after checking out several student schedules, it turns out he is in several of Quinn's classes. While Quinn was reluctant to accept the tutoring job the athletic department was offering her, to essentially be this kid's note-taker and study bitch, the $10 an hour they offered her didn't sound too terrible so she finally accepted.

She raced around the apartment shoving her books into her backpack, and raced out the door and across campus toward the library where they had agreed to meet. Quinn had her fair share of dating football players in high school, even dating the quarterbacks, Finn and Sam, for a while and Puck had played football too, but there was just something about college football players that rubbed her the wrong way. She had met quite a few of them at a couple of parties Santana, Britt and the rest of the squad had made her attend, and they all seemed like pretty arrogant jerks to her.

She had heard of this freshman quarterback Taylor Martin before, and had seen him play all season thus far, but she had never actually met the guy. While she had to admit he was a very good football player, starting as a freshman QB at Ohio State University in one of the top-ranked football programs in the country, she figured he was probably the same if not worse than the rest of the guys on the team she had met before. She just hoped he wasn't a complete douchebag the whole time she was required to tutor him or this was going to be a long semester.

She finally found him waiting on her at a table in the library and settling in, they got to work. After an hour and a half of talking more than studying, Quinn was starting to realize just how wrong her initial impression of this guy really was…

* * *

><p>The two months of technical school were crazy to say the least. Puck learned how to shoot three types of guns, set off 2 different kinds of remote explosive devises and shoot a mortar round, and that was all in the first two weeks. He was having a hell of a time, and while he wished for just one weekend morning to sleep in until around noon and catch up on a few z's, the loudspeakers all across base were set to play the morning reveille at 0500 hours, which to Puck simply meant the ass-crack of dawn.<p>

Yet, these days he didn't really mind getting up that early. His body had become accustomed to the time change, and since he wasn't staying up all hours of the night playing videogames and drinking beer, he found he could actually wake up earlier and actually get more things done than he had in the past. In fact, most days, Puck and the rest of the base had been up and gotten ready, gone through their morning duties, eaten breakfast and were already well into their first round of training for the day before the clock even struck 8 am. He thought the Army, or the whole military for that matter, should go ahead and start handing out bumper stickers and t-shirts that said "We do more before 8am than most people do all day." But what did he know? He was training to be a Special Forces soldier, not a Public Relations desk jockey.

While everything on the military front was going smoothly, Puck couldn't help but feel a little off when it came to his personal life. While he hadn't expected all of the people who had been writing him in the past to continue writing him now that basic was over, he was a little underwhelmed at how quickly it had tapered off. His mom still sent him a letter once a week and his grandma sent him letters every once in a while as well. Britt and Santana would send something now and again, but the person that surprised him most was Quinn. Her letters became somewhat shorter, less detailed and started coming fewer and farther between than they had in the past. She had been his constant, and besides his mother, he knew he could look forward to receiving a letter from her each week.

The last time he was in the mess hall, he was able to catch up on a little college football, and figured that since it was approaching mid-November at this point, teams were buckling down and making that final push toward bowl season. He figured she was just getting bogged down by all the stress of practice and traveling with the team, performing now at both football and basketball games, all while trying to maintain her stellar GPA. He knew she always worked super-hard for her grades and wouldn't be surprised if she had a perfect 4.0 going into Christmas Break. But even with all of those possibilities rolling around in his mind, he still couldn't shake this strange feeling he had in his gut when he tried to figure out why her letters had become so generic and sporadic lately.

He still wrote to her once a week, and he had sometimes mailed out two, maybe three letters to her before receiving one back. But he figured it was better than nothing given how crazy both of their schedules were. The most recent letter he mailed just the other day detailed how he and Finn were less than a month away from completing technical school and specialty training in Combat Weapons and Logistics Systems, and how they had both been accepted into Airborne and Air Assault School. A/AAS would last about a month, and once they had successfully completed it and received their final marks and evaluations, their requests to try-out for the Army Rangers would be reviewed and they would be notified around Christmas if they had been accepted. Ranger training would then start about three weeks later, or mid-January, and would last 61 days, and if he survived through those 61 days without voluntarily dropping out or getting injured to the point where he would have to withdraw himself, he would meet his goal of being selected to join one of the most elite fighting forces in the entire world. He would become an Army Ranger, and be well on his way to becoming the Special Forces badass he dreamed of becoming.

He hoped that she understood all of the military lingo he had used in a few of his previous letters but he figured she could always look them up if she didn't. She would probably just nod and smile at him anyway if he tried to explain all of this in military terminology, so he tried to cut down on the Army stuff these past few letters and focus on what was going on in Finn and his lives. At one point he thought she could be upset with him over his choice to try out for Special Forces, as it is a fairly tedious process that comes with a lot of sacrifice and training thereafter, but he hoped if that was the case, she would have said something to let him know she was upset.

All he knew was that he only had about a week left of technical school before he and Finn were set to head to Airborne school, and while he wanted to know what was going on with Quinn lately, he knew he had to get his head in the game and finish strong so there would be no doubt he and Finn's names would be on that list when the evaluation board met to determine who would be allowed to try-out for the next Ranger School.

* * *

><p>Quinn never knew if she had this much fun studying before. She and Taylor had been having tutoring sessions three times a week for two hours at a time for the past semester and she could honestly say she enjoyed his company. He was outgoing, fun to be around and easy to talk to despite coming off as very shy the first few times they met. Tonight they had been playing a modified version of flashcard trivia for their upcoming chemistry test, and somehow it turned into a popcorn war and a drinking game If you got an answer wrong, you took a drink, Taylor's rules. Quinn was well on her way to being tipsy, but Taylor was really struggling with the answers, and at 6'4" and 225 lbs, he had far more to drink than she had but was probably only about as buzzed as she was.<p>

After laughing at some of the crazy answers he had given her and throwing handfuls of popcorn at him as he tossed back a couple more, she had decided they both had enough studying for the evening and it was probably time for her to go. It was already 11 pm and while their test wasn't until one the next day, she figured he would need the time to sleep it off and review before they actually went in to take it. She knew it was a bad idea to drink the night before an exam, but once he brought out the booze and wanted to turn it into a game, she couldn't help but go along. They were in college after all, they were allowed to do dumb things within reason, right?

She was getting a bit tired anyway, so she started packing up her things before telling him it was getting late and she needed to head home. When he hadn't said anything, she looked up at him and could have sworn she saw a hint of sadness behind his eyes as she began to clean up the popcorn that was all over the floor of his dorm room. She tried to ignore the tug of guilt in her stomach as she thought about Puck and what he would say if he knew she was hanging out in another guy's dorm room this late at night, but she tried to rationalize with herself that Taylor was just a friend and she was helping tutor him this semester so he could stay academically eligible for the season.

She glanced back up at him once she noticed he had gotten up and started helping clean up the popcorn she had been throwing at him all night. He smiled at her before leaning down and picking up the remaining glasses on the floor, setting them on his desk.

She pulled her coat on and headed for the door before he called out for her to wait up and he pulled on a coat as well. "What are you doing?" Quinn asks looking at Taylor as he finishes sticking his arms through the sleeves on his coat, grabbing his keys on the way out the door.

"A true gentleman walks a lady to her door," he replies, flashing her a bright smile.

Quinn hesitates for a moment, "You really don't have to do that. I don't live too far away. I appreciate the gesture, but it's really not necessary."

Keeping his gaze on hers, he replies "Well I'm glad you live nearby. Means I won't have as far to walk back after I drop you off." When he sees Quinn look nervously down at her feet as they trudge down the sidewalk, he quickly supplies "And to be honest, if my mother ever found out I let a girl walk home all the way across campus alone at this time of night, she'd have my head."

Quinn laughed at his response, and felt instantly at ease again. She had once told Taylor about her previous encounters with several of his other teammates, and he swore up and down he was nothing like any of them. And truth be told, she was starting to believe him. He was such a nice guy, always polite to those people at games who approached him for interviews and autographs and was always kind to his fellow students and classmates. He was even nice to the kids in the band and other people that were not exactly in the athletes' circle of friends.

She was starting to wonder how he was in high school, and if he was as popular then as he is now, Quinn would truly feel horrible about the way she acted in high school, ruling the school with cruel gossip and fear instead of practically killing people with kindness. From what Quinn could tell, Taylor was special compared to the rest of the guys she had met on the football team, and she wasn't just thinking about his cannon of an arm or his ability to make these amazing plays. There was just something about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

They walked together across the snow covered quad in a comfortable silence until they finally reached Quinn, Santana and Britt's apartment. He walked her to her door as he promised, and she joked that he could go ahead and tell his mother all about his chivalrous deed for the evening. He looked down at his shoes and smiled shyly before looking back up at her, thanking her for all of her help that night. She wasn't sure what she had really done besides get slightly drunk with the guy, but she told him it was no problem and that he had been good company. She slipped her key into the door, but before she could turn it all the way, she felt a hand grab her arm gently.

She looked back up at him to ask him what was going on, but before she could say anything, he cut to the chase, asking her if they were friends and if he could trust her. She saw the serious look in his eyes and nodded in the affirmative and he continued, asking if she trusted him. She told him she trusted him quite a bit, as they had gotten to be somewhat close friends over the past few months. He blinked a few times, absorbing her response before leaning in closer to her ear, his breath warm on her neck as he asked her if he could tell her something he had never really told anyone else in his whole life. She closed her eyes and nodded, waiting to hear what he had to say…

* * *

><p>After they had completed Combat Weapons and Logistics Systems training, Finn and Puck were re-assigned to jump school with the Airborne division. They had learned all about the care and maintenance of their parachutes and packs, and how to quickly release and disengage from their chutes once they hit the ground so they could take off and immediately spring to action. Puck had already made eight of his requisite ten jumps, and Finn was only one behind, having lost a day to strep throat. He went in to the infirmary to get antibiotics, but since the Airborne trained in such close quarters and strep was highly contagious, they made Finn sit out a day so he wouldn't get everyone else sick.<p>

They only had one week left of Airborne school and then they would move up to Ft. Drum, New York to complete their 10 day long Air Assault training, where they would learn everything from combat assault techniques from a helicopter, to the loading and handling of weapons on a chopper, to repelling out of a chopper onto all types of landscapes. While the culmination of Air Assault training was the completion a 12 mile foot march while carrying all the necessary equipment in under three hours, Puck knew he and Finn had it in them to finish this thing out. They had already come so far and excelled in practically every skill they tried to master, and since Air Assault school was the final stepping stone before getting into Ranger School, they knew they had to conquer it as well to get that much closer to their final destination.

As soon as Finn heard they were being sent to AAS in New York, he about flipped, realizing he would be less than four hours away from Rachel from where the base was located. He told Puck that he decided he was going to hop the first train to NYC as soon as they graduated AAS and surprise Rachel before her finals. They would be able to have some time to themselves without their parents hovering over them and he was really looking forward to seeing her again. Puck knew that incentive alone would help push Finn through the next few weeks.

Puck wished he had something similar to that. He had continued to write Quinn once a week and he had received several letters back from her, all apologizing for not replying sooner and explaining her course load and practice had consumed her life. It was somewhat reassuring when she ended each letter she sent with "I miss you and I can't wait for you to come home" but he couldn't help feel like something had changed between them. He knew she was off making new friends and enjoying college like any other 18 year old, but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy that something else was taking up her time. The time she spent thinking about him and writing him letters.

He tried to shake whatever doubts he had out of his mind as he grabbed his gear and boarded the plane. He needed to mentally prepare for his two final jumps he had scheduled for the day and he couldn't afford to screw up at this stage in the game, especially when hurtling yourself out of an airplane. Concentration is a must.

As he lay in bed that night, Puck couldn't help but think about what was bothering him about the Quinn situation, and after several restless hours, he searched back through his footlocker and found the racy picture she sent him several months ago. It never failed to help put a smile on his face and get his blood pumping again. He stared at the picture for a little while longer before replacing it in its special spot.

As soon as his head hit the pillow again, he knew what was bothering him. It had been almost six months since he last saw Quinn. Finn had seen Rachel a little over three months ago when she came down for graduation, but Quinn couldn't come that weekend making it seem like forever since he had seen her in person. Finn was going a little stir-crazy being away from Rachel as long as he had, but he had no idea how bad Puck was going through Quinn-withdrawal lately, and Puck knew it'd make him feel instantly better once he was able to see her in person again.

He decided on a course of action similar to Finn's. As soon as they were finished, he would hop on the first available military transport out of Ft. Drum, NY and head straight to Columbus to surprise Quinn. They would be able to spend some quality time with one another before having to go home and stay with their parents for the holiday, and while he loved the holidays with his family, he couldn't imagine a better way to spend his leave than having Quinn draped around him like she was the night before he left for basic training. He missed her touch and her kiss and the way her body felt wrapped around his. He drifted off while making plans in his head for his return to Ohio.

* * *

><p>The rest of Airborne school had been a blast and Puck and Finn both had to admit jumping out of planes was quite a rush to the system. Finn never thought of himself as an adrenaline junkie, but he and Puck were hooked and they both were certainly glad they went this route.<p>

The move to New York was a bit of a transition and the winter weather was definitely a shock to their systems considering they spent the past five and a half months in Georgia. While the weather sucked, their training was incredibly interesting and entertaining. Puck could have sworn he had ADHD, as he never had been one to like to sit around and wait, preferring to be up and active, and this area of training was perfect for him. It was go, go, go, go from the start, and the only time they really slowed down was to sleep at night.

The combat maneuvers and assault training was very interesting, and Puck figured this comes in handy a lot as a Ranger, or else it AAS wouldn't be a requirement for all incoming Ranger recruits. He thought the weapons phase was still interesting even though it progressed at a slower rate than the other phases, but he loved the repelling phase. It involved more throwing himself out of moving aircraft, although this time instead of a chute, he was hurtling toward the ground in a harness while controlling his own rate of descent using his rappel.

Now, after 6 months of tedious training, hard work, blood, sweat, and more sweat, Puck and Finn found themselves nearing the finish line of their final 12-mile foot march, signaling their graduation from Air Assault School and earning them the Airborne and Air Assault badges to wear on their uniforms from here on out. The last mile of their trek, the boys actually felt lighter as the remaining distance grew shorter, and they found themselves talking about what they were looking forward to most about their leave time.

Finn was excited to surprise Rachel as he had planned to leave first thing in the morning on the outgoing train. He would surprise her, take her out to a romantic dinner, and hopefully get some long overdue nookie he had been dreaming about since leaving for boot camp. Puck couldn't help but slightly grimace at the visual of Finn and Berry going at it, but since he'd been fantasizing about Quinn the past few months, he couldn't really blame the man.

As they crossed the finish line, they were met by their Air Assault sergeants who informed them they had successfully completed the program and graduated on to whatever they chose to apply for next. The boys went back to their barracks to change and shower before grabbing something to eat and heading over to the administrative offices. After receiving their paperwork of completion from AAS, they filled out the necessary requests to try out for Ranger school, submitted their files, and left the building hoping and praying they would hear back soon that they had been accepted.

x-x-x-x

By 6am the next morning, Finn was up and packed and ready to go. He shook Puck's hand and each of them wished each other good luck before Finn took off toward the train station. A few hours later, Puck was packed and ready to go as well, hopping on a humvee that was headed for the air field to catch a ride on a military transport headed back toward Ohio. They had to make a short stop in New Jersey first, but this was the only transport of the day that actually flew into the reserve air field in Columbus, and Puck knew it may be his only opportunity to get back to Ohio before Quinn started finals and he would be expected to arrive home any day.

As the plane touched down in Columbus, Puck thanked the pilots for letting him ride along and hustled off the plane. He was in the same city as her finally, and he could barely contain his excitement to see her as he practically ran toward the base visitor's center. He gave the officers he passed a smart salute and slipped into the restroom, pulling a change of civilian clothes out of his duffle and making quick work of his uniform.

He checked his watch and saw that it was getting late, and he wanted to make sure he caught up to her as early as possible to make sure they had plenty of time together. He called for a taxi and as the cab pulled up to the curb, he gave the driver the address to Quinn's apartment. It was only about 7:30, and while it was a Saturday evening, it was still early and he was sure Santana wouldn't grace a party with her presence before 9, so he felt it was a safe bet they would probably be home.

The driver pulled up to the complex and Puck pulled out the required amount of bills, tipping the man for helping get him there as quickly as he did. He grabbed his duffle from the seat next to him and stepped out of the car, walking toward the door matching Quinn's address. He can feel his heart start to beat faster and can't contain the smile that begins to form on his lips. He gets to the door and sets his duffle aside, knocking few times and waiting for the answer. After waiting for a bit, he decided to knock again. When he gets no response from his second knock, he rings the doorbell, and still nothing. He's annoyed at this point but he figures they may be out to dinner or something.

He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly types a message to Santana asking where they girls are. She responds back fairly quickly, telling him they're at a party across campus at some frat house, at least that's what he assumes the Greek letters she typed in mean. She texts him back again, asking why he was wondering and he comes up with some random excuse that he tried calling Quinn, but couldn't get a hold of her earlier. Santana texts back, telling him that she hasn't seen Quinn in a while but she knows she's still at the party and has her phone on her, so he should probably try again.

He decides he still wants to surprise her, so he leaves the duffle tucked in the corner by the door frame on the far wall, enough to hide it somewhat from the random passerby and sets off across campus. He has no idea where he is going, so he stops to ask a few students where he could find the frat house he was looking for, following the directions he was given until he finds himself in front of a large brick building with giant black letters painted on the side. He can see there are tons of people inside through the front window, and while the front door and most of the windows are closed, the music inside is loud enough to hear the lyrics perfectly clear from the street out front.

He takes a deep breath and opens the front door, taking in the outta-control party scene in front of him. His only goal is to find Quinn and surprise her, and hopefully convince her to get out of there with him, but he also steels himself mentally in the instance he may need to have a discussion with any frat-tastic bro who tries to give him crap.

He begins to wander throughout the house looking for Quinn, moving quickly and efficiently through the front two rooms before heading toward the front entryway again to start back toward the back of the house. As he is walking back out toward the entryway, he feels two arms envelop him from behind. His first instinct is to turn and throw a punch, but he recognizes the arms as being long and slender, the kind that would belong to a girl. He smiles and turns around slowly only to be met by a pair of blue eyes instead of the hazel ones he was searching for.

"Puck! Is that you? I almost didn't recognize you! What are you doing here?" Brittney practically squeals with delight when she recognizes Puck, throwing her arms around his shoulders again.

"Hey Britt! It's good to see you!" he tells the girl, giving her a hug back before pulling away, "Thanks for all those letters and drawings you and San sent me at basic, I really liked them?"

"You did? Oh good, I was hoping you would!" She squeaks, "So what are you doing here though?"

Puck glances around the area before looking back at Brittney, "I actually finished training a few days early and was hoping to surprise Quinn. You wouldn't by chance know where she's at, would you?"

Britt's smile got impossibly wide as she looked up at him, "Last time I saw her was about 5 minutes ago in the kitchen with Santana."

"Thanks Britt," Puck says with a smile as he turns and walks off to find the kitchen. Along the way, he gets hit on by a few sorority girls, and while the old him would probably have stopped and chatted with the girls, he's on a mission now, and he's dead set on finding Quinn.

He rounds the corner toward the kitchen when he runs smack into a girl with dark hair and huge boobs, from what he can feel against his chest at least. "Hey Asshole, watch where you're…. Puck?" the girl asks as she looks up at who she just ran into.

Puck looks down at the girl and smiles as soon as he sees Santana staring up at him dumbfounded. "What San? You look like you've seen a ghost?" He can smell the alcohol on her breath and figures this is taking a bit longer for her to process than usual because of the amount of booze in her system, but she seems to snap out of it fairly quickly.

"Wait, what are you doing here? I was just texting you." She replies, looking up at him.

"I know, I finished training early so I came out here to surprise Quinn. I went to your apartment first but you weren't there so I texted you," he states. "Speaking of which, where is she? I haven't seen her in months and I've been looking forward to this for a long time." He looks over Santana's head toward the kitchen and side-steps to get around the Latina.

Santana sees Puck shift to go around her, and as he side-steps by her, she reaches out toward him, grabbing his arm in the process. "Hey, why don't we go get a drink first? They're up front."

Puck looks down at Santana, confusion etched in his features, before he tells her "No thanks, I just wanna find Quinn and get the hell outta here." He goes to move around her again but Santana blocks his way again. "Seriously San, stop. I've had a long day and all I wanna do is see her and spend some time with my girlfriend who I haven't seen in half a year."

Puck goes to move around her again before Santana grabs his arm again, "Puck, I don't think you should go in there right now. Just trust me on this one."

"And why the fuck not?" Puck retorts angrily as he jerks his arm away from Santana's grasp, glaring at her before he lifts his head to look out into the kitchen.

As he scans the room, he sees her face. She is standing no more than twenty feet in front of him laughing and joking with a few people, stopping to take a sip of her drink. His euphoria in seeing her in person for the first time in six months is cut short as he sees the arm slung around her shoulder, a rather large hand belonging to a man cradling her right shoulder. He looks to Quinn's left and sees that hand and arm are attached to a tall, broad-shouldered blonde dude, which if Puck's kept up on his college football well enough over the past few months and he's not mistaken, happens to be Taylor Martin, the new freshman recruit out of California, and the new star quarterback for the Buckeyes.

Puck feels like he's frozen in place. His chest tightens as he feels like his heart dropped out of his stomach. He wants to walk over there and re-arrange that pretty boy's face, but more than anything he feels an overwhelming sense of disappointment and betrayal as his eyes travel back down toward Quinn's face. He can feel Santana standing right next to him, taking in the scene with him, but she's smart and doesn't say a word while he sorts out how he feels about what he sees.

His keeps his eyes trained on her face as he watches her laugh at something one of the other kids said to her, before pulling her glass back up for another drink and glancing out in his direction. Her eyes grow wide instantly when she sees him staring blankly ahead at her. He doesn't even try to hide the anger or the hurt on his face, as he gives her one last look before turning on his heel and walking back toward the front of the frat house. He expertly winds through all the drunk college kids standing in the entryway, but he doesn't give a shit if a few of them get mad at him pushing people out of the way. He just needs to get out of there and get some air before he feels the whole world he's built with her in his mind come crashing down on him.

_Was that seriously Puck standing there just now staring at her?_ Quinn thought as she tried to process what just happened, _Santana was standing there next to him but she didn't do a thing. _She glances at her right shoulder and sees Taylor's huge hand covering it. _Oh God…_ Quinn's fingers tremble as she goes to set her cup down on the counter she's standing by, but she's shaking so badly at this point, she ends up knocking it on the floor and spilling its contents anyway. She dips out from under Taylor's arm and begins to walk after the fleeing Puck and Santana, ignoring the calls from friends she was just speaking to. She quickens her pace, trying to push her way through the throngs of people lining the entryway. _I have to find him and explain_, she thinks to herself as the tears start to well up behind her eye lids. She keeps pushing and pushing, but she's relatively petite and people aren't budging. She screams at them to get the hell out of her way, and that starts to do the trick, people moving along as they see how angry and upset this crazy girl stomping down the hallway is.

He makes it out of the front door rather quickly considering the number of bodies crowded in the house, and is already halfway across the street before he hears Santana's heels clicking after him. He doesn't dare slow down or stop now, as he can't stand the possibility of looking back toward the house and seeing her again. Santana yells after him to slow down, but he doesn't break his pace. She pauses, slips off her shoes and starts jogging after him, running barefoot through the snow on the ground.

Before Santana could open her mouth to say anything, Puck beats her to it, "Don't. Just don't Santana. I… I can't…. I just can't deal with this right now, ok?"

"You can crash at my place if you need a place to stay," she offers quietly after a few moments.

Puck lets out a dry, humorless laugh as he scoffs, "Yeah, ok. Sounds like a great idea."

"Oh, right. My bad," Santana replies, remaining silent and in step with him the rest of the way across the quad. He picks up his duffle and punches in a number in his phone, calling for the cab company to come pick him back up, before he begins to walk away from their apartment door. "Hey, where are ya gonna go? I can find a hotel nearby if you want?"

"Nah, I'm good," Puck says, focusing on the ground and shaking his head slightly as he walks, "I'm just gonna head home." He blows out a loud breath, before glancing back briefly. "Thanks anyway San," he calls as the cab pulls up to the curb and he jumps in. He tells the driver to take him to the nearest Greyhound station. He needs to get out of this city before the ache in his chest causes him to implode completely.

Quinn never saw Santana walk back into the party, so she figured the two of them headed back across campus toward the girls' apartment. She is glad she wore flats that night as she takes off jogging across the quad, and while she slips and slides on the ice a few times, she's grateful she opted out of wearing the heels instead as they would be far more dangerous on ice.

She races across the last stretch of lawn before cresting the hill in front of her apartment. She sees Santana standing at the door, arms crossed and looking down the street toward where a man with a shaved head is climbing into a cab. She barrels down the hill toward the road just as the cab pulls away from the curb and speeds off in the opposite direction.

Between the ache in her chest, the tears she has been choking back since she saw the hurt look on Puck's face at the party and the exertion from the sprint she just made across campus, Quinn lungs are burning worse than they ever have before in her life. She stands there in the middle of the street watching the cab drive off until the red taillights disappear from sight. She feels like she can't breathe and her heart is racing at such a rate she feels as though it is seconds from exploding out of her chest. She's never had a panic attack before in her life, but if she had to imagine what it felt like, she would think it felt something like the way she feels now.

She places her hands behind her head as she struggles for air, trying to breathe deep as the tears continue to flood her eyes, blurring her vision and cascading down her face. After a few moments, she turns to look back toward their apartment. Santana is still standing out in front of their door, her arms crossed across her chest as she stares at Quinn. Quinn has never seen this look from Santana before, and while she is used to her glare and her confused stare, this is completely different, almost a stare of complete disappointment and sadness. Quinn starts walking toward Santana, and even calls out her name, but Santana simply looks down at their front step and shakes her head back and forth, before retreating back into the apartment.

Quinn steps inside the front door just in time to hear Santana's door shut and lock. She can feel the emptiness creep in around her, and the guilt, sorrow and loneliness she feels is threatening to suffocate her. She trudges slowly toward her room and pulls off all of the clothes she is wearing before pulling Puck's t-shirt over her head and crawling into bed, grasping her pillow and holding it tightly against her chest. Not long after, she can feel the body-wracking sobs coming on, but at this point she has no strength left in her body to fight them off. So she allows herself to cry, clutching her pillow as her body shakes with every wave of emotion that surfaces. She cries for Puck and for the look he gave her before turning and walking away, she cries for the fact that he came to see her and she ruined it only to watch him drive off in a cab, she cries for the look Santana gave her before walking away from her too. But most of all, she cries at the empty feeling in her chest where her heart used to be, knowing that she is the one to blame for shattering it in the first place.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_Ooooo…cliffhanger. What should Quinn do now? Should Puck take her back? _

_Sorry for the length, once I get rolling, it's hard to stop._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:**_First of all, I want to apologize for how long it has taken me to update this story. These past two finals weeks were hell to say the least. But I'm done now which means I have no excuse not to update more regularly. Additionally, I want to say thank you for all of your wonderful reviews and story adds! I really appreciate the support and I'm glad you are liking the story so far!_

_Having said that, I will warn you now that this chapter is more on the 'M' side. I have tried to keep it fairly 'T' up until now, but I couldn't help it on this chapter. Let me know if you think I need to raise the rating. Thanks!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

To say that the past week of winter break had sucked would be a massive understatement. While Puck and Finn had finished their Airborne/Air Assault Training just a week prior, it felt like a lifetime ago to Puck. After the disaster that surprising Quinn had become, all he could think about was getting back to the Army grind. He decided to hang on to the extra days of leave he and Finn had earned after graduating at the top of their recruit class at basic and thank God he did, he thought bitterly, as he wouldn't need the extra time to spend with Quinn now.

After completing his Air Assault Training, he contacted his recruiter in Lima to let him know about Finn and his progress and his recruiter was thrilled they had done so well. Puck figured it was really because his recruiter could use the two of them as his "success stories" to help pimp-out the Army to other potential recruits that came through his office, but Puck was strangely ok with that, especially since someone at least acknowledged him as a success. He also offered Puck an opportunity for extra leave time toward the end of his holiday break as well, which Puck was reluctant to take him up on, but after hearing his reasoning, Puck decided to accept.

His recruiter informed Puck of an opportunity where he could come in and work the phones, help evaluate potential recruits, administer the ASVAB testing and help out around the recruiting office during the holidays in exchange for extra leave days at the end of his winter break. The Army offered this to a few select soldiers who had recently completed basic and were still fairly low on the totem-pole but had already proven themselves as fine soldiers during basic and technical school. This way, other higher-ranking enlisted people who worked at the recruiting office could take a longer break around Christmas to spend time with their families, and the lower-ranking newbies could help them out and work the office in exchange for more leave. It was a nice trade-off, but Puck wasn't sure he should have taken it, especially since it meant spending more time in Lima, and essentially more time in the same town Quinn would be in.

He still couldn't think about Quinn without shuddering at the thought of seeing that giant blonde toolbox's arm around her shoulder at the party. The memory of her laughing with her friends while he was hanging all over her was burned into his memory, and he relived the it over and over every night while desperately seeking the solace of sleep and prayed he would not have to relive every moment of that fateful trip in his dreams. Yet, despite the amount of sleep he got or time he spend working out and running, trying to work the feeling of her betrayal out of his system, he still found himself cranky as hell every day he spent at the office.

While the past week had sucked pretty hard, there was one shred of silver lining through it all. He received a call earlier that day informing him that he had been accepted into Ranger School in Fort Benning and that he would be expected to report in at 0700 hours three weeks from now. They would begin the grueling 61-day process in the middle of January, and unless he had to withdraw due to injury or quit because he couldn't hack it (which he had no intention of doing), he would earn his Ranger tab and the right to count himself among the select few soldiers to qualify and serve in one of the most elite fighting forces in the world. As soon as he found out, he called Finn who was still in NYC with Rachel, to tell him the news. As soon as Puck got a hold of him, Finn asked him if he received the call too. Despite Rachel's initial hesitation after some online research as to what all it entailed and what Rangers actually do, she ultimately gave Finn her blessing and he and Puck were headed to Ranger School in January.

Puck and Finn knew it wasn't going to be a cake-walk and they understood how truly physically and mentally grueling Ranger School was going to be, Finn knew he would make it through since he had Rachel's support and Puck's companionship. Puck, on the other hand, just wanted the most physically challenging and mind-numbingly difficult experience he could possibly get. He wanted the drill instructors to beat every emotion and thought about Quinn out of him until he was practically a zombie, a walking Army-drone. He wanted to forget the feeling of love he had for her before he saw her at that party. He wanted to forget the pain and hurt he felt as a result of her betrayal. And most of all, he wanted to forget the feeling of love he still felt for her now, even after he saw Quinn with that guy.

He still loved Quinn, and no matter how much he tried to work her out of his system or tell himself she had obviously moved on to someone she thought was more suitable for her cheerleading status, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He was so conflicted about how he felt about her, and every time he thought about Quinn, he felt a plethora of different emotions. He felt sad and let-down when he thought of what he saw at the party; he felt anger and betrayal when he thought about how two-faced she had been when writing to him while she was obviously going behind his back; and he felt love and affection when he thought about Quinn before she had gone to college and he had gone into the Army. He hated that she made him feel this way.

* * *

><p>She hated that he made her feel this way. This past week has been miserable for Quinn, and she hated the emptiness and the loneliness she felt every day since she last saw him. Santana had barely spoken to her since last weekend and the "frat party from hell" as she referred to it, and neither had Britt, since she did pretty much whatever Santana said. While Santana had a good idea of what was going on from the beginning, Quinn was still a little upset with the way her best friend chose to take Puck's side and act completely indignant toward her after the incident at the party. Quinn knew Santana loved Puck like a brother, but even she felt this was a bit too much. When she tried to talk to Santana about it, San would brush her off and tell her she should have told Puck earlier, or that it was Quinn's fault it had gotten to this point. So much for moral support, Quinn thought.<p>

She had finished all of her finals this past week, and hoped and prayed each of them had gone well, but if you asked her, she really had no idea what was on the test or what they had asked her at all. Truth be told, she was far more concerned with Puck's reaction to her and Taylor than she was about her finals. She had always worked hard for her grades, but at this point, she felt like her whole world was caving in and it all revolved around Puck and his reaction. Every time she tried to study, he was there; every time she closed her eyes to sleep, he was there; every time she went to take a test, he was there, staring at her with those incredible brown eyes full of hurt and anger, just like they were the night of the party.

She tried to focus on her finals, tried to study hard and buckle down but she couldn't. She couldn't shake the look he gave her from her mind. She only saw him for about three seconds before he left, but the look in his eyes he had for those three seconds was a look she never wanted to see again. Just recounting the memory in her mind was enough to bring on a fresh new wave of tears she didn't think was possible, since she thought she had cried all of the tears out of her body over the past week, but driving back to Lima after the finals week from hell brought on a fresh new set. She loved him, always did and always would, and while she let him down and hurt him badly, she needed a chance to explain. Even if he didn't forgive her, she at least needed to explain.

She didn't know where he was or what he was doing lately, and she found Santana to be completely useless as an ally in this, but she knew she had to find him and explain. Just thinking about him and how badly she screwed up made her cry, and the highway leading toward Lima blurred in front of her face as she tried to brush away the tears impeding her vision to no avail. More than once on this trip, she had to pull over to try and pull herself together or else she would probably get into an accident with someone if she couldn't regain her composure and get herself under control. Once she was finally within a few miles of Lima, she made a decision to go see him, to wait at his house until he would talk to her. She told herself she would stay there until he talked to her, and wouldn't leave until he had heard her out.

When she finally reached the city limits, she turned off into the direction of the residential area Puck lived in. She pulled onto his block, and upon noticing his truck was not in the driveway, she parked her car in front of his home and walked up to the front door. After ringing the bell a few times and getting no answer, she sat herself down on the front steps. _He deserved to know the truth_, she thought, as she hunkered down to wait for him.

* * *

><p>Part of Puck was excited to go home and tell his mom about Ranger School and the other half of him could care less about getting accepted. As he drove home from the recruiter's office that day, he concluded that he didn't give a shit about getting into Ranger School at this point, as it was finishing the training that really mattered. He would be a whole lot more excited about the whole thing if he had someone to share it with, someone to cheer him on through it all like Finn had with Rachel. Sure his mom was a great support, but it was different. He still wanted Quinn to be his own personal cheerleader, his own support, but that was out of the question now as she had found someone else to cheer for, literally and figuratively.<p>

He was still so bitter about the whole issue that he almost missed Quinn's little red VW Bug parked out in front of his house when he turned onto his block… almost. He pulled into his driveway and put his truck in park, steeling himself to the onslaught of emotions and feelings he knew he would get as soon as he saw her face. He took a deep breath and composed himself as best he could before getting out of the truck and walking up the drive.

As he rounded the corner toward his front door, he saw a crumpled mass of grey sweatshirt and blue jeans leaning up against his front porch step banister. She looked up at him the second he stepped around the corner, eyes bloodshot red and usually coifed hair mussed into a haphazard ponytail on top of her head. If he wasn't so mad at her, he would think she looked beautiful. Real, down to earth beautiful, despite the disheveled mess that was her hair and the lack of make-up. She was beautiful, but he couldn't think that way. Not right now, not anytime in the future. She cheated on him and he had to focus on the hurt, and not the beauty, when it came to her.

"Quinn," he managed to ask curtly, "what are you doing here?"

"Puck. I- I…" she began, her eyes looking up, pleading at him before she rose to her feet to look at him in the eye, "I am so sorry. You have no idea how miserable I have been the last several days and I needed to explain what happened…"

"Wait, I have no idea how miserable you have been the last several days?" Puck asked incredulously, "I have no idea? I believe it was my girlfriend I caught cheating on me at a frat party last weekend, so yeah, I have an idea how miserable this last week has been for _me_!" He finished, practically brushing past Quinn on the front steps as he made his way to the door, unlocking it and pushing it open.

"Ok, valid point," Quinn conceded, as she shook her head up and down, "But please Puck, let me try and explain." Quinn was practically begging at this point, and while Puck had not looked back at her once he opened the door, he could hear the desperation in her voice as she pleaded with him.

"Fine, whatever Quinn," he said, as he opened the door for her in a silent invitation inside. Quinn was grateful to finally step inside into the warmth of his house after sitting out on his step for over an hour. She had driven straight to his house after she finished her last final as was pretty adamant that she would stay until he came home, even if it meant sitting outside all night. Quinn began to pace around his entry way as soon as she stepped inside, nervously contemplating how she was going to admit everything to him and wondering if he would believe any of what she had to say.

"So, what the fuck do you possibly have to say to me now, Q? I'm pretty sure I saw everything I needed to see last weekend." Puck stated, pulling her out of her thoughts. Her focus went immediately to the man standing in front of her, dressed from head to toe in his Army camouflage BDUs, staring at her with the most intense gaze she could have sworn she had ever seen. She was taken aback with how incredibly serious and dangerous, yet incredibly sexy he looked in his uniform, and she found herself staring at him until he interrupted her, "Well?"

"I-I…" she sputtered, trying to find the words while still trying to get over the shock at how incredible he looked in person, "I came here to tell you how miserable I have been this past week knowing that I hurt you, and how sorry I am that you had to see what you saw at the party." She took a deep breath collecting herself before continuing, "But I wanted to explain everything. What you saw at the party… It wasn't what it looked like. Honestly." She knew it sounded lame, but she hoped it didn't come out at bad as she thought it probably sounded.

Unfortunately for Quinn, it sounded even worse. "Oh, it wasn't what it looked like?" Puck scoffed, before adding in a sarcastic chuckle with his words, "Wasn't what it looked like?" He turned away from her and took a few steps before running his hand through his short hair and whipping his head back to face Quinn. "Oh, so even though Blondie QB had his hands all over you and you were totally fine with him hanging off of you at that party, and God knows how many other parties at this point, that was not really what it looked like." He couldn't help the edge and sarcasm with which his voice was filled with by the end of his rant. He glared at her, waiting for her response.

She looked down at her hands clasped in front of her before raising her eyes to meet his, "No," she replied evenly, trying to keep her voice as calm as she could, "no, that was not what it looked like." He made a scoffing noise while he rolled his eyes, and Quinn couldn't help but retort "In fact, what did you actually see, Puck?" She knew her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but after his reaction and presumed unwillingness to hear her out, she couldn't help it, "You walked in just in time to see me talking to some of my friends while a guy had his arm slung around my shoulders. Nothing more."

"Yeah-fucking-right, Quinn, you were looking awfully cozy standing there with him. Almost like it was natural to have his arm around you."

"Oh, you mean the same way Mr. Schue, Kurt, Mike, Finn, Sam or anyone else for that matter may throw their arm around their _friend's_ shoulders if they're standing next to them?" She had made a decision to try not to be defensive and sarcastic and to just apologize and accept whatever Puck was willing to dole out, but all of that went out the window the second he decided to attack her first. She should have known it was coming, but she wasn't quite prepared for what he would say.

"Ok," he started, staring her down as they stood toe to toe, "let me get this straight, you mean to tell me that the new freshman quarterback of the Buckeyes," he couldn't help but sneer as those words left his mouth, " is just a friend of yours and he had his arm around you in a "friendly" manner? Why don't I believe you? Especially given your track record for cheating and your penchant for quarterbacks? Hmm?" He knew drudging up her past was a little bit of a low blow, but frankly, he felt justified given the circumstances. He crossed his arms and waited for her response.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Quinn felt a wave of heat flush her face as anger and frustration began to bubble up inside of her. She tried to fight the emotion that was nipping at her voice when she spoke, "You know what Puck? Yes. Yes, he is just a friend who had his arm around me, thanks so much for the trust I see you have in our relationship." She felt a little better after she got that off of her chest, but she couldn't stop there, "In fact, did you see me hanging all over him? Did you see me kiss him? Did you see me do anything with him besides stand there with him? Hmm?" She glared at him, and cut him off when she saw him open his mouth to speak again, "No, you didn't see any of that. You want to know why? Because none of it happened. I never cheated on you, despite what you may think. I love you and did not cheat on you."

He hardened his gaze and practically spat at her, "Oh yeah? It didn't happen while I was there, but what about the six-fucking-months I was gone, huh? You can tell me nothing happened during those months? I don't believe you for a second, I mean once a cheater, always a cheater, right Q?"

Her eyes locked on him and she felt tears of fury well up behind her eyelids. She lowered her voice, her whole body was shaking with frustration, "No Puck, I did not cheat on you. Not last week, not in the past six months. I have been faithful to you the whole damn time." She straightened her shoulders and continued, "And as for the whole "once a cheater, always a cheater" thing: One, look who's talking *cough* _Santana_ *cough*, and Two, out of the times I may have been unfaithful, I have never cheated on you."

He snorted, so she steeled her gaze even more, replying indignantly, "I cheated on Finn with you, I cheated on Sam with Finn, but I never ever cheated on you. Why, you ask? I love you. I wasn't in love with the others. I cheated because I was trying to find that feeling of love and belonging, that same feeling I felt with you when we were together, but I couldn't." She sniffled, silently cursing herself for the tears she knew were about to come. "I knew things weren't right between Finn and me from the get-go, so I ran to you." She paused, a tear escaping her eye as she held his gaze, "I always felt there was something between us, so I invited you over that night. We had sex, found out we were having a baby and I freaked out, I'll give you that. But after all that crap with Finn sorted out and I was living with you, I finally felt like I was at home, and not necessarily because I lived in your house, but because I lived with you." Tears rolled down her face as she shook her head, trying to reconcile the feelings in her heart with what she wanted to say.

"You know, old memories and pouring on the waterworks won't win you an audience here, Q." Puck said, straightening his posture and re-crossing his arms, trying to hold off from going over there and scooping her into his arms. He hated when girls cried, especially Quinn, and she knew it got to him. He thought this could all be a ploy but he kind of wanted to hear what she had to say if she was going through all this trouble.

Quinn sniffled, trying to collect herself and brush away the tears that continued to come. After a few moments of trying to get herself to stop crying, she finally gave up and just continued. "I understand. But I want you to understand something too, Puck." She looked back up at him, catching his eyes, "I want you to understand that something huge happened between us sophomore year. We had a baby, we connected, and we made a decision, and whether it was right or wrong to give her up, we made a decision for her." She inhaled deeply before finishing, "I couldn't be with you after that because every time I looked at you, I saw her. And it hurt too much. I know that's a bad reason, but that's the truth, it's all I've got. So I tried with Sam, but there was nothing there, so I cheated and went back to Finn thinking that my 'first love was forever,'" she said, adding the air quotes for emphasis, while Puck couldn't help scowl at the phrase referring to Finn as her first love. "But nothing made me feel the same. Nothing made me feel like I did when I was with you. I would rather fight with you, or listen to your crazy theories about Mario, or watch you do some other inane task like tune your guitar than get along perfectly with some other guy."

Puck tried to keep the scowl on his face, but he knew it was slipping away the more she spoke. "But truth be told Puck, _you_ were my first love. Finn was my first real boyfriend, but you were my first love. Out of the two times I have cheated, I only regret one. I regret cheating on Sam for Finn because it was stupid anyway and it hurt a lot of people, but I don't regret cheating on Finn in the first place. Cheating on him is what led me to you, and while that ended up badly for the both of us, I don't regret finding you." She wiped away a few tears before stepping forward to take his hands in hers, "And Puck, I swear to you, I have only cheated twice in my life, and that was a long time ago in high school. I never cheated on you with Taylor."

The look on Quinn's face was sincere enough, but there was still that small shred of doubt nagging Puck. He let go of her hands and stepped back, "Oh really?" he started before crossing his arms again, "so if you never cheated on me, then what the fuck is going on between you and Sunshine? You know, the tall blonde douche from California? I know he's the new superstar quarterback and all, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's what you're going for…again." It was nice to hear how she felt about them in high school and all, but he wanted some answers about what he saw at that party.

She closes the space between them and slaps him hard across the face. "How dare you!" She cries indignantly, "If you would actually have listened to me for two seconds, I already explained that. And I could explain everything else to you if you would stop being such a prick. And Remember the Titans references aside, that whole thing was totally not what it looked like. Taylor and I are just friends. I actually tutored him this last semester so he could stay eligible for football season, that's it, I swear!"

Puck shook his head, "Yeah, cuz I cuddle up with all the girls I am "just friends" with too. And tutoring? Wow, that's a great excuse, Q. Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"Oh my God, Puck," Quinn said, rolling her eyes before practically yelling, "It was not like that at all! It was just tutoring and we are just friends!"

"Yeah right, I saw the way he looked at you."

"Oh really? You sure he was all over me? Only making eyes at me, Puck?"

"Yes! He was all over you, Quinn, and you did nothing to stop him."

Quinn had tried to be patient and she tried to dance around the subject, but she'd had it up to her breaking point. "Well maybe I didn't do anything to stop him because there was nothing to worry about!"

"Oh yeah?" He yelled. "Yeah!" she responded.

"Well why don't you tell me how that works out, seeing as how I trusted you to be faithful while I was gone, and you couldn't do it! I saw him hanging all over you! Was all that stuff you said in your letters about you caring about me and loving me a load of bullshit?"

"NO!" she practically screamed, "Every word I said in those letters is true. 100% true. And you have nothing to worry about because I am only faithful to you. I love you. I want to be with YOU! Why don't you believe me?"

He stepped closer to her before practically yelling back, "Oh, I don't know… the name Taylor Martin rings a bell."

"Oh my God, Puck! He's gay! You don't have to worry about him because he's gay! He doesn't like me like that so you have nothing to worry about! Jesus Christ!" She yelled, fed up with his sarcasm and sneering questions.

Puck was taken back for a second before he shook his head lightly and stared at her confused, "Wait, come again?"

"He's gay. Taylor is gay. As in he plays for Kurt's team. He told me a while back after we had a few drinks while studying and he walked me home."

Puck finally spoke up, "Ok, see now I really don't believe you. That is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard. How long did it take you to think up that excuse?"

Quinn just stared at him, keeping her expression solid as she looked at him. She kept her voice as low and even as possible, "I am being totally honest with you. I was hoping I didn't have to tell you, as this is not my secret to tell, but you're pretty damn persistent and I figured I owed you the truth." When Puck continued to stare blankly at her, she continued. "I don't know if it was the alcohol or if it was the fact that he felt comfortable with me that I wouldn't tell or make a big deal out of it considering my roommates are, well Santana and Britt, but he felt he could tell me. He said his mom had figured it out a while back after catching him in a rather compromising position with a theater kid none-the-less, but besides her, nobody else in his family knows. His dad and older brother played football for Ohio State and even though he grew up in California, he has always wanted to be a Buckeye. But he kept his sexuality a secret so it wouldn't become an issue during the recruiting process and ultimately wouldn't be an issue with whatever team he went to play for."

Puck couldn't believe his ears. If this was a lie, it was a really elaborate one at that. "See, I don't get it then. Why the hell were you at the party with him with his arm slung around his shoulders if he's gay and doesn't like girls in the first place?"

Tears began to gather again, but Quinn was determined to try and get out as much of the story as she could before she began to cry again. "After he told me, I invited him in and we talked for a while. He told me how he knew he was gay, and when I asked him why he felt he needed to keep it a secret, he told me that he loved football and it was his dream to play for a big program like OSU, but that would almost be impossible if everyone found out about his sexuality."

"What are you talking about?" Puck scoffed, "People are ok with that these days. Just look at Kurt. Everyone at McKinley treated him well after he came back from Dalton. People loved him."

"Yeah, that was Kurt though," Quinn continued, keeping her voice calm, "But think about Karofsky." Puck began to roll his eyes before he stopped and looked at Quinn, his brow furrowed. "Dave Karofsky ended up being gay, but look at all the shit all of the other football guys put Kurt and him through when they each had come out. When I asked him why he hadn't come out yet, Taylor made a good point. He said that the guys on his team were already giving him more crap than the other freshmen even though they claimed they were equally hazing every freshman on the team. He thought it may be because he is a starter too, but he told me about a few instances where the teasing and hazing have gone much farther than everyone else, and how a lot of the older guys are already calling him 'queer' and 'fag' and 'homo.' He said he tried to ignore it at the beginning and tried to prove himself on the field instead, but they all became more persistent, calling him 'field fairy' and telling everyone they saw that he was 'butt-buddies' with the head coach so he could start."

Quinn began to tear up again, recalling the conversation she had with Taylor a month prior, "And I've seen it too, Puck. I've seen the way some of his teammates treat him at parties. How they make him drink obscene amounts of alcohol and do dumb dares as a way to "haze the new guy" but they are not nearly as bad to the other freshmen players. They target him, Puck, and frankly, after seeing the way they treat him and hearing his stories, it reminded me of Kurt, and the way Karofsky and the rest of the football players used to treat him before he went to Dalton." Tears were falling freely now and Quinn did nothing to stop them.

Puck still stared at her, looking more confused than ever. "So wait, Taylor Martin, quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes is gay?" When she shook her head in the affirmative, he asked "So why doesn't he just come out so people would stop hassling him about it?"

"See, that's easy for us to say. Our friend came out and luckily was accepted by everyone around him. But think about it from Taylor's perspective. He is the starting QB at Ohio State and we have a chance to make a run for the BCS title game this year. Him coming out would be a bigger story than his incredible statistics or unbelievable playmaking ability. He told me he is already frustrated with the fact that his teammates don't respect him as a person since they gave him all the crap they did, but if they stopped respecting him as a player and as their quarterback, their whole season would go down the toilet. He told me he was considering transferring at the end of this year if it didn't get any better, and while I don't have any experience with what he is talking about, I would hope he wouldn't have to run away from this, but face the gossip head-on instead."

Puck still looked confused, but was starting to get a little skeptical. "So you're telling me he is totally gay but doesn't want to tell anyone for fear of his teammates and the media?" She nodded. "But he is keeping it a secret from everyone but you?" She nodded again. "Yeah, I'm still having a hard time seeing where you fit into this equation and how he had his arm all over you at that party last weekend if that's the case."

"Fair enough," Quinn stated. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions under control. She glanced down and bit her lip before continuing, "That is the part I am most sorry for."

"If he is what you say he is, then what can you possibly be sorry for Quinn? If nothing happened, what are you sorry for?"

"I'm sorry for hurting you! I'm sorry for what you saw! I am sorry for my actions that caused that look you gave me at the party that has been haunting me since you left last weekend! If I would have known what I did would have hurt you this badly, I would never have done it! I would take it all back in a heartbeat, Puck!" She cried, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Take what back? Just get to the damn point!"

Quinn tried to collect herself unsuccessfully. She looked up at him, choking on her words, "Have you ever heard of a 'beard?" When he looked at her, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion, she explained, "Not like a facial beard, but a gay beard? You remember when Santana was dating Karofsky to try and hide the fact that they were both gay by being with each other. They figured by appearing that they were together, people would continue to think they were straight. They both ended up coming out eventually, but they just needed a little extra time to decide when and how they wanted to do it." When he continued to stare at her, she continued, "So, I figured that I could help him out. I knew how uncomfortable he was going to team parties and such, since that is where he got picked on the most, so I offered to go with him a few times, as kind of his date. I thought that if his teammates and other people that hung out around them saw that he was talking to or hanging out with one of the cheerleaders, they would stop hassling him about his sexuality for a while. They would think he had hooked up with his tutor and would leave him alone for a while, even if we were to "break it off." It seemed to be working for a while there too, and they left him alone after I showed up at a party with him about a month ago."

Puck's expression turned from confusion to hurt as he processed all of this, "So you mean to tell me, you had been doing this for a while, pretending to be someone else's girlfriend too, and never once thought to mention that to me?"

Quinn felt a sob creep up her throat, "I know, I should have told you. Part of me wanted to tell you, and the other part of me didn't want you to worry about something like this while you were at training! I didn't want to take your focus away from what you were supposed to be doing, and I just thought this was so silly and meant nothing, that I didn't need to bother you with this. I thought you would never find out and it would be a non-issue between us, since there was nothing going on, but I know I was wrong, and for that I am so, so sorry Puck!"

She was really crying now, and Puck hated it that he probably pushed her too much, but he wanted to know the whole truth. She continued through the sobs, "I am so sorry. I was wrong, and I should have told you but I let you down. We need to be honest with one another, and I know I have a bad track record for that, but please, please believe me when I say that I will always be honest with you in the future. I will never do anything like this again, and if I could take it all back, if I could erase the hurt I caused, I would in a second. I am so sorry."

Puck looked her in the eyes, and through the flood of tears, he could tell she was being genuine. She came clean about what was going on, and frankly Quinn is a terrible liar, her eyes give her away. But he could tell her story about Taylor Martin was not a lie, and while he was still mad at her for making him feel the way she did and hiding that from her, he could kind of see why she did what she did. He also could tell she was being genuine in her apology too, and the look of pleading and desperation on her face as she looked at him now was enough to make him crack.

He took a few steps forward, stopping right in front of her and raising a hand to her cheek, wiping away the dampness."Quinn, did you mean what you said in your letters to me? Did you mean it when you said you loved me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Puck," she sighs as she leans her head further into his hand, "I meant every word I said in my letters. I love you more than you will ever know, and I am so sorry I ever made you doubt that."

She barely finished her apology when a pair of lips crashed down hard on hers. His lips molded to hers, demanding more as they continued to slide against each other. Puck pulled her body tight against his as his hand continued to cup her face, his teeth nipping at Quinn's bottom lip, sucking it in between his lips. His hand found its way around her side and splayed against her lower back pulling her in even closer.

Quinn deepened the kiss, circling his shoulders and neck with one of her arms and bunching his uniform with her other hand, pulling him down toward her as she pulled herself up to meet him, their lips malleable against one another. She slides her tongue along the seam of his mouth, begging for entrance. He allows her in, sucking on her tongue before sliding his tongue along hers. Their hands grasping at one another, their tongues battling for dominance, and the pent up angst and desire they have for one another has finally surfaced after that emotionally charged argument they just had.

All of this is too much to handle for Quinn and she can't stifle the moan that escapes her throat when Puck slides his hand back into her hair and pulls her in deeper, causing her to tighten her grip on the collar of his uniform. She feels so much passion right now and while it is an unfamiliar feeling to her, she knows she wants more.

Puck heard her moan and knew he needed more. He held her tightly as he backed her up into the wall in his front entry way, pressing her into the wall and pressing his body into hers. The hand he has snaked around her lower back is slowly sneaking touches under her sweatshirt while his other hand has trailed down her side to grab her hip and pull her into him as tightly as he can.

Quinn can feel the bulge pushing against her and she feels a wave of desire overtake her. She wants more of him and wants to feel him everywhere. As soon as she feels his fingertips make contact with the bare skin on her back, she feels like her whole body is on fire. The hand on her hip has slipped up under her sweatshirt too, and her knees go weak as his fingertips lightly caress her sides before making a feathery trail toward her stomach. She moans into his mouth as his fingers dance along the waistband of her jeans, and she hastily begins to grab at the front of his camo uniform top, plucking at the buttons and trying to free them of their holes, jerking away from the kiss once she becomes too frustrated with how difficult the buttons are proving to be.

He grinds his hips into hers, pushing her further against the wall, as he begins to nip and kiss down her jaw and neck. He about loses it when he hears the incredibly loud moan she lets out when he kisses her right behind her ear. But he needs more contact, he needs to feel her. He allows one of his hands to feel its way up her flat stomach and come to rest right below her bra line, tracing small patterns on her ribs while his other hands snakes its way up her back, unclasping her bra, running his hand up and down her bare back.

After quite the struggle, Quinn finally gets all of the buttons undone and yanks the uniform jacket down his arms, discarding it on the floor before kissing his mouth hard and pulling on his t-shirt, untucking it from his pants and attempting to pull it over his head.

Puck stops her, breaking away from the kiss, "Are you sure about this? Cuz if we keep going like this, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop myself."

Quinn looks at him with red-rimmed eyes, shining with pure, unadulterated lust, "Positive. Please Puck, I need you."

"Good, because you have no idea how long I have been waiting for this." He kisses her hard, picking her up and wrapping her legs around his waist, carrying her up the stairs toward his room. "And that picture you sent me in basic…Oh God." She laughs against his shoulder as she continues to nip at him, kissing his neck and his jaw on the way up the stairs.

As soon as he makes it to his room, he kicks the door shut behind him and slams Quinn up against the wall again, yanking her sweatshirt and t-shirt off wanting to feel more skin. He slides her bra off and kisses down her jaw and her neck, making his way down her chest nipping at the sensitive skin. His hands trail up her sides and back as he leans forward, pulling a nipple into his mouth and sucking deeply.

Quinn gasps at the sensation, feeling a bolt of passion shoot straight to her core, as she bucks her hips into him. She clutches at his t-shirt, pulling on it and yanking it up over his head. He sets her down and continues to lave her breasts with attention, while his fingers travel further south, unbuttoning her jeans and slipping his hand into her pants. Puck switches to the other breast, plucking and teasing her other nipple as his hand strokes her through the cotton of her panties.

Quinn frantically grasps at his pants, fumbling to get his belt undone and get his pants off before she explodes under his ministrations. She yanks at his belt a few more times before she growls in frustration, "What, do you have to be freaking Houdini to get this damn thing undone?"

Puck laughs against her chest before pulling away, "No, it just takes practice. You'll get it, I promise," he says, winking at her and making quick work of his belt, pants, and boxers. He reaches out and picks her up, carrying her to the bed and laying her down on his mattress. He grabs the waistband of her jeans and slides them down her legs slowly, tossing them over his shoulder.

Quinn hooks her fingers into the sides of her panties and begins to slide them down, when Puck grabs her hands and tells her he wants to do it. He leans up, placing small kisses on her stomach and trailing his lips up to each hip bone. He makes his way south, trailing kisses down her thighs as he drags her panties down her legs slowly. He crouches in front of her, feeling around on the floor for his pants and rifling through his pocket and wallet to find the condom he keeps in there.

Puck begins kissing her legs, starting with her calves and moving upwards until Quinn has spread her legs all the way open to him and he is convinced he is staring into Heaven. She props herself up on her elbows to look down at him, watching his every move as he continues to kiss his way up the insides of her legs until he reaches the apex of her thighs. He plants a lingering kiss on her, letting his tongue explore a bit, and Quinn can hardly stand it. Her head rolls back and she lets out a guttural moan.

Puck doesn't think he'll be able to last long at this point, as it's been a long time and those moans of hers are bound to make him combust if he doesn't feel her now. He slides up her body, hovering above her and kissing her gently before looking her in the eyes. He grasps himself and is about to slide into her when he hears her say his name softly.

"Puck?"

"Is everything ok? We don't have to do this now if you don't want to." He wanted to go at her pace, but he hoped she wanted to do this. He was about to lose it right now just feeling her naked body underneath his.

"I want to," Quinn replied softly. "But, this is only the second time I've ever done this, so be gentle?" she asks, taking her lower lip into her mouth, biting the corner.

Puck smiles down at her before slowing lowering his head and kissing her sweetly. "I promise." He runs his fingers through her hair and kisses her again, easing himself inside of her and pausing to let her adjust to the new sensations. He never took his eyes off of her, wanting to make sure she was alright but wanting to see her reaction to this as well.

Quinn gasped as she felt him enter her, and while it was a slightly uncomfortable feeling at first, as soon as he moved his hips and began to rock into her, she found herself moaning his name and savoring the feel of their skin sliding against one another. They built a steady rhythm and when the pleasure was almost more than she could bear, she clutched him tightly, clawing at his skin as she exploded around him. Her vision was clouded with little white spots and she was convinced she felt more relaxed than she ever had in her entire life.

He came shortly after with a groan, his arms giving out and he collapsed on top of her. Puck tried to roll off, convinced he was crushing her, but she continued to cling to him, insisting she loved the feel of his weight on top of her. After they had both regained control over their breathing, Puck leaned down to kiss her one last time before rolling off of her and disposing of the condom. He turned back around and she snuggled against his chest again, slowly tracing nonsensical patterns on his muscles while he ran his hands up and down her back and arms, caressing the bare skin.

"So that's what I've been missing out on all this time? Somebody should have slapped me when I tried to bring back the celibacy club."

Puck laughed out loud at her comment, "You know, usually this is the part where the girl asks the guy what he's thinking. But instead you're taking shots at yourself for missing out on the Puckasaurus these past few years and for bringing back the celibacy club."

"What?" she asks mockingly, "It's true! I wasted a lot of time in high school!" He laughs again. His chest rising and falling with every chuckle and she can't help leaning forward and planting a kiss in the middle, before slowly trailing her kisses up his chest, swirling her tongue around a nipple before sucking it into her mouth.

Puck inhaled sharply, "You know, if you keep doing that – " he was cut off by a loud groan escaping his throat.

"You'll do what?" Quinn challenged, waggling her eyebrows at him, "We do have a lot of time to make up for."

"Mmm, yes we do." Puck agreed, looking back down at her before running his fingers through her hair.

"Puck," Quinn asks, pulling herself up on top of him and looking him in the eye, "I really am so sorry about everything that happened last weekend, and everything before that. I never meant to hurt you, and I promise I will never hurt you like that again."

Puck leans up and kisses her, "I know, and even though I'm not happy you didn't tell me about it, I know why you did it. Just, can you not do that next semester? I like my girlfriend to be all mine." He says raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely. I'm all yours, baby!"

"Good… Oh, and I have some news for you too. Finn and I got into Ranger School. We start in mid-January."

"Puck, that's great news! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" Quinn was practically bouncing off the bed with excitement. Puck grabbed her around the waist and she leaned down to kiss him hard before leaning toward his ear and whispering, "Then I guess we have some celebrating to do." She pulled back and arched her brow.

That's all Puck needed to hear before flipping her over and pulling the sheet over the top of the both of them, losing themselves in each other for the rest of the night.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning Puck wakes up refreshed and relaxed and he knows it has everything to do with the naked blonde wrapped around his body. They made love two more times last night, and spent the rest of the time in between exploring each other's bodies, touching, caressing, kissing and tasting. He's glad he has a few more weeks left before he starts back up and Quinn has to go back to school, because for right now, he plans on spending every free moment enjoying this woman.

He replays the events of last night in his head, from the fight to the make-up, to the celebration, and finally to the making up for lost time. He allows himself to relish the feel of her warm skin against his and knows that regardless of what the Army throws at him next, the images of her above him and underneath him will help motivate him through Ranger School and beyond.

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><p><strong>AN:**_Well, what did you think? Thanks again for sticking with me and reading my story! I appreciate the support!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey everyone! Sorry its taken a while, but the good news is, I have the next few chapters written as well, so they'll be posted sooner than this last time, I promise! And I am so pumped by all the story adds and reviews! When I started this story I never imagined getting a whole lot of reviews, but over 30! That's awesome! Thank you all so much!_

_Also, this chapter is a bit shorter than the last few, but the next few will be a bit longer for those of you who like the length. Hope you like it!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

The morning after their emotionally charged argument and make-up, Quinn thinks she has finally found true bliss in her life. She can feel the morning sun warm on her back as she slowly lets her eyelids flutter open, meeting the tan expanse of Puck's chest. She sensed him wake up a little earlier that morning and figured that was probably normal for his daily routine, but she was happy he was able to fall back asleep again shortly thereafter as she felt a little guilty for keeping him up so late the previous night. She carefully shifted her body under the weight of his arms encircling her so she can get a better look at his dozing form.

After getting better situated, Quinn finally gives him the once over, drinking in his muscled physique and slumbering face. _He looks so peaceful and at ease_, she thinks as she studies his features, lightly tracing them with her fingertip. His chiseled cheekbones, his perfect chin, those incredible eyes, and that wonderfully pouty mouth. Put those all together with the rest of his sculpted body and *_ahem_* exquisitely proportioned part of his male anatomy and Quinn is convinced he would make the perfect Adonis for any nude art class anywhere.

She can't help but sigh quietly and smile at the thought of his naked body working the magic it had the night before. She can feel his lips on her body, his kisses scorching her flesh as they nipped and sucked their way from the top of her head to her toes and back again. She can still sense he delicate lines his fingertips traced along her back and sides while they danced along her skin. She relishes in the thought of his hands grasping her hips and thighs to pull her closer and how large and calloused yet wonderful they felt kneading into her flesh and cupping her cheek. And she doesn't even need to close her eyes to imagine the feel of his body weight hovering above her or his hips rocking in between her legs as the sensations were so incredible and downright hot, they have practically been burned into every nerve ending in her body.

Quinn had grown up in an incredibly religious household, and while some of that was simply a show her parents put on for the people at the country club, she had taken the concept of chastity seriously. She had always been taught that sex was primarily for procreation purposes and that sex for enjoyment was a dirty act. Since her first time having sex, with Puck nonetheless, lead to a baby and an overall dramatic, emotional, and problematic result, Quinn decided it was not worth the risk, guilt and overall dirty feeling she was left with the last time. But after the night she just had and the way in which being with Puck like that again made her feel loved, beautiful and special, she knew her initial qualms about sex were wrong. In fact, if the delicious soreness she felt all over her body this morning was supposedly wrong, she didn't want to be right. She felt so close to him and the feeling of making love to a man she cared very deeply for was a bit overwhelming to her, but lying here next to him and watching his eyelids flutter open to look down at her with that same reverence and love she looked at him with the morning after was completely worth it.

"Mmm, didn't anyone tell you it's a little creepy to watch people sleep?" Puck mumbled, raising a hand to wipe the sleep away from his eyes.

"You looked so peaceful and cute, I couldn't help it," Quinn replied, gently running her fingers along his jaw.

"I'm not cute, I'm manly."

"Yep, whatever you say," Quinn agreed, raising a brow and smirking as she pushed herself up onto her elbow, resting her head in her hand.

Puck leaned up to meet her, supplying a "Good morning" before capturing her lips in a kiss. Quinn responded, mumbling the same greeting against his lips before pulling him against her to deepen the kiss.

They lounged around for a little while longer, kissing and caressing while talking briefly about their fight last night before getting into a discussion about their respective plans for the rest of break. Quinn was a bit surprised but ultimately very grateful that Puck's mom and little sister had left to visit Puck's grandparents earlier the day before and wouldn't be home for another few days, giving her plenty of time to escape without an awkward morning after situation like the one they had when they dropped Puck off for Basic Training six months ago. And while she was usually annoyed with that sly grin Puck had on his face when he mentioned they would be gone for a few more days, she found herself a bit excited at the prospect of getting to spend some more alone time with Puck while he had the house to himself. She had finally discovered what sex was supposed to be like and she sure as hell wasn't about to turn down any more opportunities to explore the physical side of her relationship with Puck.

After a long shower together and some of Puck's famous cheese-eggs, they both decided they should probably get dressed and get going for the day. While it was a weekend and Puck didn't have to report in at the recruiter's office, he did still have a few errands to run and some things to take care of for his mom before she got home. Quinn thought it would be a good idea to let her mom know she made it back to town and to finish up some holiday shopping before the rush got too crazy.

He walked her to her car and kissed her before making plans to meet up later that night. He kissed her again before she climbed into her Bug and started the ignition, not bothering to hide the smile that has all but consumed her face. He waves as she drives off and she watches him climb into his truck in the rearview mirror, her body alight with anticipation as to what tonight and the rest of their break will hold.

* * *

><p>After spending a few more days and nights basking in the newfound glow of their relationship, Puck's mom and little sister returned back to Lima, signaling the end of their nighttime rendezvous at the Puckerman residence. However, they manage to find quite a bit of time to spend together throughout the rest of their break. With the exception of Quinn spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her mom and older sister, the two of them got together as much as possible.<p>

They met up with most of their friends from high school to catch up and even have a Rachel Berry-style karaoke night for old-times sake. While Puck took advantage of a few "man-dates" with the boys to play videogames or shoot pool, Quinn was able to hang out and catch up with Mercedes, Tina and Kurt on several shopping trips to the mall. She even had coffee with Rachel a few times while the boys were doing whatever it is boys do, though she would never let Santana know of the fact that she and Rachel were becoming fairly good friends. Santana wouldn't ever stop harassing her for that. Ever.

They even managed to get everyone back together to throw a New Year's party at the Hudson-Hummel residence that rivaled the best of any of the high school parties they had ever gone to. Even though this break had started off on the wrong foot completely, the rest of break was smooth sailing and it was great to see old friends again and catch up on each other's lives.

While their alone time was spent enjoying one another and talking about upcoming events of the year ahead and a majority of the rest of their break was spent visiting with their friends and spending time with their families, Puck and Quinn made sure to carve out a few days on their schedules to take care of some long overdue business.

Laying in bed the morning after their first night together this break, they both decided they wanted to visit their daughter. They needed to spend time with Beth just to give them peace of mind about their decision to give her up. After each spending countless hours over the past few years wondering about the little girl, they needed to see how she was doing, what she looked like, and for Quinn especially, simply needed to hold the little girl again. They determined these visits would be a priority for the both of them over break, so they called Shelby up and put her on speakerphone, asking her if she would be ok with the two of them coming over to visit or to babysit.

Turns out Shelby was delighted for the chance to get away for a while, taking them up on their offer on a few separate occasions to finish holiday shopping or to attend some holiday parties. Puck and Quinn were delighted at the chance to spend time with their little girl. Quinn was practically sick with nerves leading up to their first meeting with Beth, but when the day arrived, despite the first few tenuous moments upon meeting the 2 year old, the little blonde girl had taken to the duo quite quickly.

They spent hours chasing the little girl around, building snowmen, playing with her stuffed animals and Puck even got down on his hands and knees to play "horsey" with Beth. They made her dinner, gave her a bath, which managed to leave Puck drenched from the water fight Beth instigated, and capped off their night reading her stories before tucking her into bed. After a long, exhaustive day, the two birth parents stood at the little girl's door watching her sleep, Puck's arm around Quinn as she leaned into him resting her head on his shoulder.

Quinn had to fight back a few tears at how perfect the scene felt to the two of them, and how wonderful it was to spend the day acting like their own little family. While she always wondered if they made the right decision and there had been plenty of moments that day where she felt like they could have made it if they did choose to keep her, Quinn knew they made the right decision when Shelby finally did come home and was anxious to hear all about their day. The way she spoke about Beth with such love and tenderness made Quinn feel much more at ease knowing Shelby was a fantastic mom who took good care of their little girl. Additionally, Shelby had made sure the little girl's closet was packed full of cute clothes and she had all of the toys she could ever want, and both Puck and Quinn knew they would never have had the finances to provide her with all the material goods Shelby had over the years. While they loved the little girl more than she would ever know and they understood she may never know who they were to her, they knew deep down they did what was best for her.

After thanking Shelby for the opportunity and her thanking them for giving her a much needed break, they parted with a promise to try and visit whenever they could, and they set off back toward Puck's house. The drive home was filled small talk about funny or cute moments from their day with Beth, but once they were alone together in Puck's room, they just laid in bed holding each other, minds spinning with the events of the day and the possibilities of what could have been.

* * *

><p>The rest of their Christmas Break flew by fairly quickly. Finn and Puck were scheduled to fly out of Columbus early Monday morning to get back to Georgia for in-processing into Ranger School, so Quinn thought it may be fun to go back to Columbus a few days early so she could show him their apartment and a little bit more of the campus and town that he missed the first time he visited a few weeks prior. She figured it would be fun to show him a little bit of her world there so he got an idea of her day to day life, and gave him a general sense of what she was talking about when she mentioned places and people. Quinn figured there may not be a whole lot of people around since there were still a few more days left before break was over, but it was something to do besides sit around in Lima the rest of break.<p>

Puck, on the other hand, was ecstatic that he and Quinn would finally get a little more alone time during their time in Columbus. Besides the few days his mom was visiting his grandparents and the one night she stayed over after visiting Beth, they really had not had much of an opportunity to be together as just the two of them. Since both of their moms knew they were back together, neither women were very keen on them sleeping over at one another's house, and somehow managed to break them up or come home at just the right time if things between them started to get a little hot and heavy.

He was a little frustrated that he kept getting cock-blocked by their mothers or even their friends, so he was thrilled they would finally have some time together when they got to Quinn's apartment. After packing up all the stuff he brought home and kissing his mom and sister goodbye, he and Quinn set off on the two hour drive back to Columbus.

As soon as she pulled her car up in front of the apartment, Puck practically jumped out and drug her to the door, grabbing her keys and hastily unlocking the door, pulling her inside after him. He pushed her up against the door, kissing her hard and grinding his hips into hers, desperate for some sort of contact after hours of anticipation and dirty thoughts of what they were going to do once they arrived.

Yet just as soon as they started, Quinn broke it off, throwing him a smirk over her shoulder as she took his arm, guiding him around the apartment in a quick tour. She showed him Britt's room and pointed at Santana's closed door, as her room was usually a disaster area, and she guided him through the living room area toward her room, but Puck just couldn't wait. As soon as they rounded the open floorplan's kitchen counter, he picked her up and all but slammed her down on the countertop, practically attacking her neck with his lips and allowing his hands to roam up her shirt toward her bra strap.

Quinn had been a little frustrated with their living arrangements over break too, but she at least thought they could make it to her room before going at it. But with Puck's lips attached to her pulse point and his hands unclasping her bra and skimming all over her body, hitting all of her sensitive spots, she could care less where they were right now. She clasped the front of his jacket, pulling it down his arms before reaching for the hem of his shirt, yanking it up over his head and tossing it over her shoulder to land somewhere in the living room.

Quinn raked her nails up and down his chest, reveling in the muscular ridges. She felt a shiver run up Puck's body and she knew he was just as excited as she was. As he continued kissing and suckling the skin around her neck and shoulders, Quinn felt as though somebody turned up the furnace in the apartment as she felt her body temperature rise from the heat of their encounter. She traced her fingertips up and down the backs of one of his arms while running her nails through his short hair briefly before pushing him away to look at him.

As soon as he pulled back, she stared into his eyes, the chocolate brown drowned out by the dark lust lurking in his pupils. Feeling suddenly emboldened by the sheer heat displayed in his eyes, she reached down and pulled her sweater up and over her head and pushing it to the side. She let her bra dangle down her arms a bit before pulling it off too, this time tossing it at him before leaning back to give him a better view.

Puck just stood there, watching the show as she stripped off pieces of her clothes and leaned back, allowing him to ogle at her toplessness. While she may not have the biggest breasts he had seen on a woman, they were perfect to him. He reached out to cup them, feeling their perfect weight in his hands while leaning down to capture her lips between his.

Quinn moaned into his mouth as he rolled a nipple between his thumb and forefinger, sliding her hands down his chest and stomach to undo his belt and pants. She was relieved this wasn't one of his military issued belts as she didn't have much luck with it the last time, but the leather one he wore now slipped out of its loops easily, landing on the floor with his pants following shortly thereafter.

Never breaking contact with her mouth, Puck slid his hands down her sides to undo her jeans. He lifted her slightly to peel them off of her, delicately sliding the denim down her legs. He grasped her hips, pulling her closer to him. As soon as they made contact, Quinn bucked her hips involuntarily against his, eliciting a loud groan from Puck and Quinn instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.

Right when Puck was about to make his move and slide into home, they heard a loud crash across the living room followed by a door swinging open to reveal a disheveled Santana standing in her now open doorway.

"What the fu…." She began, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes while clutching a baseball bat. Quinn and Puck froze, staring across the small space at her, mouths gaping open. "Ay Dios mio, my eyes!" She growled as she flung her arm across her face in an attempt to shield herself from the sight of her mostly naked roommate with her legs wrapped around her ex-fling turned best friend's waist.

Quinn couldn't move as she stared over her shoulder at Santana, grateful her back was toward the Latina as she clutched tighter to Puck, "Wh-what are you doing here, San? I thought you were still back home?"

"Yeah well, I decided to come back earlier today to catch up on the sleep I did not get over break, given that my whole extended family was staying at our house, including the obnoxious nieces and nephews." Santana grimaced, "But instead of sleeping, I get woken up with noises of things slamming around in the kitchen and loud groans. I thought we were getting fucking robbed. But no, it's just you two fucking. Really Quinn? Really? Your room is another 10 feet to the right, you couldn't make it to your bed?"

"Hey, I have a hot girlfriend, I couldn't wait." Puck sneered as he shot Santana one of his trademark smirks.

"Ok, one, fuck you Puckerman. Nobody likes you anyway. And two, I just woke up. You're lucky I haven't charged over there with this bat and taken all my rage out on your knee caps, Lima Heights style."

"Alright Santana," Puck countered, "one, I _was_ _about_ to get fucked before you charged in here. Thanks a lot for the warning. And two, your dad's a doctor and your mom's a trophy wife. Don't even try to go all "Chola" Lima Heights on us. And three, guaranteed you and Britt have messed around in the kitchen too, so shut it."

Santana smirked at his last comment before allowing the grimace to return to her face, "Fine, you two have fun. But you better 409 and bleach the hell out of that counter when you're done or this Chola will start kicking asses. I eat my breakfast on that counter… Sick."

Quinn just nods her head in understanding and Santana hoists the baseball bat over her shoulder and turns around, marching back into her room and slamming her door. Puck bursts out in laughter while Quinn just sits there staring at him, still mortified from getting walked in on. Thank God they hadn't really started doing anything yet or that would have been a lot more awkward.

Santana yells a loud "shut the fuck up" through her door, which makes Puck laugh even harder. Quinn smacks him in the shoulder and tells him it's not funny.

"Are you kidding me, Q? That was hilarious!" Puck chuckles, earning him a dark look from Quinn in the process. "Fine, think of it this way though. At least it was Santana and not one of our moms or my little sister. That would have been way more awkward."

"That's a fair point," Quinn responds as she beings to unhook her legs from around Puck's waist.

"Wait, what are you doing?" He asks, grasping her thighs and hooking them back around his body, "We haven't even gotten started yet!"

"Are you kidding me? After all of that, you still wanna go?"

"Um, yes," he states as he picks her up and carries her the rest of the way to her room, "And feel free to make as much noise as you want to. Consider it payback for all the times you had to listen to Santana and Britt."

She raises an eyebrow at him before smiling wide, "I think I can do that." After crossing the threshold into her room, Puck doesn't bother with the door, leaving it open so Santana can hear exactly what is going on the rest of the night.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-

After spending almost a full twenty four hours in bed, Puck and Quinn decide they should probably find some sort of sustenance if they are going to keep at it the rest of the weekend. Puck thinks they should just hit up some fast food joint, but Quinn decides she wants to do something a little different and attempt to be somewhat domestic by cooking Puck dinner. They make a quick trip to the store to grab what they need for a romantic dinner for two.

While in the check-out line, Quinn receives a text from Britt asking what their plans were for dinner to see if they wanted to do a double date with her and San that night. Quinn accepts, since she can never say no to Britt, and they end up going back through the aisles to grab double the ingredients needed. After making a detour at a liquor store to grab some wine and beer, a feat Puck is especially proud of since he showed them his military ID and they let him buy the booze no questions asked, they make their way home and start putting together their meal.

Puck pours Quinn a glass of wine and he grabs a beer, helping out with whatever task she gives him. He knows his way around a kitchen which is a rarity for most dudes, but he is more impressed with the fact that Quinn does too. He has always assumed the extent of her domestic abilities came in the form of laundry or cleaning, and even then, cleaning using the easy Chlorox wipes. But here she is cooking up a storm, making a delicious smelling Chicken Parmesan, salad and garlic bread, and you can go ahead and color him impressed.

Santana comes strolling out of her room at the smell of the food cooking, but finds herself more interested in the stock of wine and beer now taking up room in their fridge. "Where did this all come from," she asks.

"Puck got it when we stopped by the liquor store." Quinn responded, nonchalantly.

"Um, how? He's not even 19 yet?"

"I handed them my military ID. They looked at the front, saw the picture, thanked me for my service and handed it back. Idiots didn't know the birth date is on the back of the ID instead of the front. Oh well, I'll take it. We'll definitely have to go back there whenever I come back to visit," he says, nodding at Quinn.

She sneaks a sly glance over at him before squeezing his bicep lightly. "I'm really starting to appreciate the perks of having a boyfriend in the Army," she smirks before leaning up to place a light kiss against his lips.

Santana pops the cap off a bottle of beer before looking back up at them, "Eww sick. What is with the two of you and PDA all of a sudden?"

"Um, after living with you and Britt for the last semester and putting up with all of your PDA and whatever else it is you do behind closed doors, which I can hear might I add, I really feel you can put up with a few days of our PDA before he goes back to Georgia." Quinn responds, he voice faltering a bit when she mentions him leaving.

"Oh, congrats on Ranger School by the way. Mama Lopez ran into Burt earlier this month and he mentioned you and Finn got in." Santana took a swig of her beer before looking at Quinn, "And Q, I know how much you missed him, and if it means not having to deal with your mopey-ass bitching about how much you miss him for a while, by all means, take full advantage."

"Thanks champ," Puck responds to her initial congratulations, tipping his beer toward hers in acknowledgement.

"Oh my God, was that a compliment? Did Santana Lopez just give someone a compliment?" Quinn asked incredulously. When Santana ducked her head and shot her a pointed glare, Quinn chuckled and held her hands up in surrender, "But I do appreciate it. Thanks, S."

"Anytime Mamacita," Santana replies before slinging her arm around Quinn's shoulders, "So what are we having for dinner?"

Before Quinn could answer, Brittney came bursting through the door shouting her greetings to everyone and rushing around giving out hugs. After she has said all of her hellos, she looks toward the door and waves at whoever was standing outside to come in. "Guess who I ran into at the gas station down the street? Our BFF Taylor!" She shouts excitedly as she holds her arms out in a gesture of presentation to the group.

As soon as the blonde man enters the room, Puck's posture goes ridged and Quinn can see him clench his jaw and the sound of his name. Santana glances nervously over at Puck and Quinn moves in beside him, sliding her arm around his arm and lightly grasping his bicep, whispering that everything will be fine and that he can relax a little.

Taylor walks into the apartment cautiously, glancing around at its occupants before waving lightly, "Hey everyone. Nice to see you all again." He sees the man standing next to Quinn in the kitchen, her arm wrapped around his, and a flicker of recognition hits Taylor. He is pretty sure he saw that man at the frat party everyone was at before finals last semester, the party Quinn stormed out of running after this guy. "I can see this is a bad time, so I can just come back later," he says sheepishly, "Sorry for the intrusion."

Quinn's grip on Puck's arm tightens a bit and Brittney's face falls a bit as Taylor turns around to leave, and Puck can't believe he's about to do this, but he trusts Quinn and figures this guy is just a friend of theirs. "No, wait man. Stick around, Quinn's made plenty," Puck states quickly. Taylor stops in his tracks and turns around to face Puck.

"Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt anything," Taylor asks, running a hand through his hair.

Puck moves away from Quinn and rounds the corner out into the living room, "It's not a problem at all." Puck walks toward the blonde man, noticing both Santana and Quinn holding their breath nervously out of the corner of his eye. He sticks his hand out toward the other man, "Noah Puckerman, but everyone just calls me Puck."

Taylor looks down at his hand briefly before extending his and shaking it, smiling slightly, "So you're the notorious 'Puck' I've heard so much about? I'm Taylor Martin."

"Well as fate should have it, I've heard quite a bit about you too Taylor Martin, and not just from ESPN mind you," Puck teased as he released his hand.

"I hope it's all semi-good things you've been hearing," Taylor jokes nervously as he stands there face to face with Puck.

Quinn and Santana have yet to move a muscle, nervously watching the exchange between the two men while Brittney keeps looking back and forth at them confused as to what the big deal is.

"Well, it'll definitely be all good if you can bring a national championship or even a bowl win back to Ohio," Puck chuckled, "You want a beer?"

"I'd love one," Taylor smiles before following Puck into the kitchen behind a stunned Quinn, "And believe me, come hell or high water we will make it to a bowl game this year, and I don't intend on losing either."

"I like the sound of that." Puck stated, walking back out toward the living room couches with a few fresh bottles of beer, Taylor following him and sitting down on the other couch opposite Puck. "So tell me what it's like playing college football? I always wondered if it was as awesome at I used to dream it was when I was a kid."

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know if you tell me what boot camp and the military are like," Taylor joked back, "I grew up playing Army men with all of my friends, running around with water guns and terrorizing the neighborhood."

Puck laughed and Taylor followed suit, both men falling into easy conversation. Though Puck would never say it out loud, Taylor was really easy going and reminded him a lot of Finn personality-wise. A blonde, gay Finn, but the same personality.

Quinn and Santana remained rooted to their respective spots, staring in shock at the two men. Brittney was so confused by their actions, so she broke the silence, "Um, why are you both just standing there? You're creeping me out and I smell burning."

Quinn snapped out of it and flipped the chicken just in time before it burned any more. Santana slid behind the counter and stood next to Quinn, still staring at the boys conversing, "Ok, so what just happened?"

"I have no idea. Puck and I got into a fight the first night I got back to Lima, but I explained the whole situation about me and Taylor, and after a few comments and questions he got over it. Actually, after all was said, he seemed to respond quite…well to it all." Quinn couldn't control the blush creeping up into her cheeks at the mention of Puck's "response" to their fight.

Santana finally broke off her stare and glanced at Quinn. She quirked a brow at her before leering, "Oh you're so busted! So that's when Quinn the horndog finally decided to come out to play?" Quinn blushed furiously, lowering her head to avoid Santana's gaze as Santana nudged Quinn's shoulder with hers. "So, how was it…finally? Been a while, did everything still work? Judging from the scene I walked in on yesterday, you and Puck have been getting your mack on quite a bit over break, eh? "

"Santana!" Quinn hissed through clenched teeth, "I am not answering that!" When Santana just stood there staring at Quinn with her own trademark shit-eating grin, Quinn relented a little, "Ok fine! Yes, it happened, and it was fantastic, but we kept getting interrupted over break and that's why we came back here a little early. And that's all you're getting."

Santana chuckled lightly, "It's about damn time! Welcome to the big girls club; its way more fun than that chastity nonsense you preached about in high school. Plus, you just look and seem much more relaxed. Glad someone finally got you to pull the stick out of your ass."

"Hey! I wasn't that bad!" Quinn pouted.

"Oh yes you were," Santana countered, "I swear to God, if Puck hadn't come back when he did and y'all hadn't worked your shit out, I was planning on locking you both in a room until you did it, just to save us all from the overwhelming angst and sexual frustration radiating off of you every day."

"No, it's true, that was our plan," Britt agreed.

Quinn laughed at both of her friends, "You're both ridiculous, but I appreciate the concern. And no, I no longer need your help figuring that out, thank you. Oh, and San?"

"Yes Ms. Fabray?"

Quinn walked over to the Latina and gave her a huge hug. "Ok, that's nice. Now get off of me, Tubbers!" Santana pretended to grimace a little as she brushed off her arms, "What the fuck was that for?"

Quinn threw her a smirk over her shoulder as she walked back to the kitchen to start plating their dinner, "That was actually from Puck," she said slyly, "He really, really enjoyed your photography skills."

Santana laughed, "See, I was right, wasn't I? I'm never wrong! And I'm glad he liked it. Now can we eat already? I'm starving!"

Quinn plated everything up and took the food out to the boys in the living room. All five of them gathered around their coffee table eating and telling stories, filling Taylor in on some of their high school shenanigans, and Puck regaled them all with horror stories from boot camp and training thus far.

-x-x-x-x-

When the night was over and Santana and Britt had said their goodbyes and retreated to Britt's room, Puck and Taylor helped clear off all the plates and took them into the kitchen. After a bit more small talk about their upcoming games, Taylor thanked Quinn for dinner and made his way to the door. He pulled on his jacket and turned to face Puck, shaking his hand again in farewell. Puck wished him the best of luck for the rest of the season and Taylor thanked him bidding them goodnight.

Taylor turned to leave, then stopped himself and turned back around to face the couple, running his fingers nervously through his blonde locks. "Hey man, so I've wanted to say something all night and never found a good time." Quinn looked down at the ground, shifting her weight back and forth, and when Puck nodded, he continued, "I guess I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what happened at the party a while back. It really wasn't what it looked like and from the look on your face that night, I can understand if you're pretty pissed at me right now. I know how much Quinn cares for you and honestly, she was just doing me a favor, as bad as that sounds, but I swear nothing happened. You're a good guy and I can tell you're both good together so I just wanted to say how sorry I am for messing anything up between you guys."

Puck gave him a slight smile before responding, "Thanks dude, I appreciate it. Q ended up explaining the whole thing to me, and I get it. No worries, man." Taylor's face dropped a little when Puck mentioned Quinn telling him everything, so Quinn quickly interjected, "I'm sorry I told him, I just couldn't explain it any other way. He won't say anything, I promise." Puck jumped back in to reaffirm what Quinn just said, "Yeah, no worries, I won't say anything."

When Taylor eyed Puck warily, Puck decided to try and lighten the tension a bit, "My best friend's step-brother plays for your team, if you catch my drift. Besides, if it actually ended up being what it looked like between the two of you, I would have had to re-arrange your face a few weeks ago."

Taylor lets out a light laugh before responding, "Fair enough." He hugs Quinn goodnight before continuing, "And as for your friend's step-brother…"

Quinn smiles, "It's our friend Kurt, you know, the one I told you about who goes to design school in New York?"

Taylor smiles back, "Oh yeah! He was pretty good looking in the picture you showed me."

"Hey, easy!" Puck chided, "As far as I know he's still taken."

"Well, maybe some other time then," Taylor laughs, "Puck, it was nice meeting you and Quinn, I'll see you around. Goodnight!" Puck and Quinn wave goodbye before Puck lets out a raucous laugh at the exchange that just happened.

"Did he seriously just say he thought Kurt was hot?" Puck laughed.

"Hey, what can I say, our friends all happen to be very attractive. I can't help it if I have hot gay guy friends!" She jokes.

"I know somebody else who is pretty damn hot. In fact, I've been fantasizing about getting her naked again since she decided to her put clothes back on this afternoon," he exclaims, before picking Quinn up and hoisting her over his shoulder caveman-style and carrying her to her room, Quinn squealing and giggling the whole way there.

Both Puck and Quinn know they have to meet Finn and Rachel at the airport at 7am the next morning in order for the boys to catch their flight back to Georgia on time, but until then, they'll be damned if they waste a single moment they have left together.

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><p><strong>AN:** _Thanks again for reading! The next chapter will find the boys at Ranger School...there may even be an engagement, who knows? :)_


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry it has taken a while to update. Work has been insane lately. Thank you all so much for taking the time and following this story! And a huge thank you to everyone who has left such kind reviews! 38 reviews! Thats amazing, thank you! This chapter is a bit drier than the rest, but I assure you it is accurate on all levels. The next chapter will be much jucier, I promise. Now on to the story..._

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

After a totally botched attempt at surprising Quinn at a party, their first major fight as a couple again, their first (well, technically second) time having sex as a couple making up from that fight, their first visit with their daughter since they said their goodbyes at the hospital 2 years prior, and a much needed weekend trip back to Columbus, Puck thought he had a pretty fantastic winter break. While the few weeks off was much needed, he was ready for the next challenge: Ranger School.

Quinn drove Puck to the airport early the next morning where the couple met up with Finn and Rachel, who had decided to make the drive to the Columbus airport from Lima that morning. They both looked exhausted when the foursome met up at a coffee shop inside the main terminal, and Puck and Quinn couldn't help but exchange knowing glances and smile at the shared thought as to why their friends looked as tired as they did…and it really had nothing to do with the fact they had to get up and leave Lima by 5am to make it in time for the boys' flight.

Rachel and Quinn ordered coffee and a few pastries to share while the boys checked in, and after the boys got their boarding passes and were all good to go, they rejoined the girls to chat about their respective breaks. After catching up for a bit, the boys' flight was called to start boarding and it was time for another round of goodbyes. Finn and Rachel had their usual 'so cute it makes you want to vomit' goodbye, with plenty of kisses, some baby talk and a mini argument over who loved who more. Quinn and Puck, on the other hand, had already physically told each other how much they loved the other over the past weekend and the night before, so they simply told one another that they loved and would miss the other before indulging in a final kiss and embrace, parting with a "see you soon" instead of goodbye.

The boys passed through security, boarded the plane and got themselves situated before it pushed away from the gate and took off while the girls watched from the windows in the terminal. Quinn and Rachel decided to stick around the airport coffee shop a while longer to catch up and have girl talk about what really happened over their breaks. Rachel told Quinn all about Finn surprising her in NYC and taking her out for a romantic dinner and a stroll in the park one night and treated her to a Broadway show another night all while enjoying their alone couple-time before they were slated to return to Lima for Christmas. Quinn was a bit surprised with how open Rachel had been chatting about her and Finn's sex life, as Rachel apparently had no filter when it came to discussing her and Finn's relationship, but strangely, Quinn didn't seem to mind. She was actually a bit flattered Rachel liked her enough and trusted her enough to have this kind of conversation with. The only other people Quinn ever had a similar type of openness with were Brittney and Santana, and even then it was a bit awkward now seeing as the two girls were dating and Quinn was sleeping with Santana's ex/best friend. It was a bit more complicated now, so she was glad to have someone else to have this kind of girl talk with.

Rachel noticed Quinn's slight unease and asked if she was offering too much information, since Quinn had once dated Finn as well, but Quinn just told her that she appreciated Rachel's candor and was glad to have someone besides San & Britt to talk to about these things, especially since they really didn't have to deal with the whole "boy-problems" issues anymore. Quinn filled Rachel in on all about how Puck tried to surprise her in Columbus and how it had turned into a giant mess when he caught her with Taylor. Rachel gave her a fairly condescending look and asked her how she could do that to Puck, so Quinn told her all about the fight and the real reason she was at the party with him that night. She even told her all about her and Puck's make-up, to which Rachel squealed with glee, her smile extending all the way up to her eyes before asking a million questions about how it was and told Quinn she was glad they finally hooked up again, since Finn had apparently been telling Rachel all about how angsty and sexually frustrated Puck had been all through training. Quinn couldn't help laugh at some of the stories and jokes Rachel made about herself and Finn and some of the crazy things the two of them had done over break, and while Quinn couldn't top some of her stories, it was funny just to listen to the girl and swap whatever tales she could with the brunette. She also told Rachel about their visits with Beth and their subsequent trip to Columbus before dropping the boys off and Rachel seemed genuinely interested and happy for the duo for getting to spend time with their daughter again.

All and all, it was a solemn parting from the men in their lives, but a greater step toward achieving a friendship neither could have fathomed having with one another in high school. They each had their respective friends at school and what not, but each woman realized they had much more in common with one another than just their boyfriends being friends. They sat and talked, telling stories and laughing in the airport coffee shop for over 2 hours, finally realizing how much time had really passed once they each got a text from Finn and Puck letting them know they had already landed in Georgia. The girls decided to head their separate ways, but not before promising to keep in better touch with the other over the next semester.

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><p>Upon arriving back at Fort Benning, Georgia, Finn and Puck were shown to the barracks they both knew they probably wouldn't spend much time in and unloaded their gear. They had been able to catch up on the true stories of what each of them did over break and were all filled in on each other's lives by the time they landed. They had in-processing for a few hours to make sure all of their information and files had been passed along to the correct people and were given the night to rest up and mentally prepare themselves for the grueling few months ahead.<p>

Both boys had done their research and discovered that less than a third of the three hundred men they would start Ranger School with the next day would end up earning their Ranger tabs at the end of the 61 days, and overall, less than one percent of the soldiers in the Army were actually Ranger qualified. That meant the Army Rangers were among the elite of all the military Special Forces, equal to Marine Recon and the Navy SEALs. Their training would take place in three different locations so they could experience all different terrain and thus be prepared for anything they ever may face. Puck was excited to see what kinds of things they would have to do once their training took them away from Fort Benning and into both Florida and Colorado, but he had read some horror stories online so he knew he needed to be wary of every situation they may throw the men into. They also knew they were in for an extremely grueling experience over the next few months and took their time preparing themselves for the next day.

At 0400 hours, the men were harshly awoken by the sound of mortars and gunfire. They sprang out of their bunks just in time to hear the Ranger instructors bust in the doors yelling at the men to get their gear and report on the field outside. All 300 Ranger candidates hastily threw on their BDUs and grabbed their gear and reported in. They were then divided into pairs and told these men were their partners for the next 3 days and that they were to do everything in pairs as the Rangers almost never do anything as an individual and they never leave a man behind. Finn had been paired with an officer who was trying out for the Rangers, and Puck could tell already that Finn was not a fan of this guy. Puck, on the other hand, was paired with a Specialist Daniel Miller, who he quickly learned was from Amarillo, Texas and had an extremely thick Texas accent.

Their first task seemed simple enough, they were all told to fight their partner in hand to hand combat, trying to wrestle and take the other down. Then the Ranger instructors would blow a whistle after several minutes and the men would help their partners up and they would run around the dirt track surrounding the combat pit, switching off carrying one another over their shoulders and even bear crawling or rolling through the mud when the instructors would blow the whistle to signal such activity. Then they would do it again. They went at this for hours on end, Greco wrestling one another, then running, then carrying one another, then rolling through the mud.

After what seemed like an eternity to the men, they broke momentarily for water and were told they then had to run to the Ranger O-Course, an obstacle course with 12 major obstructions the men had to maneuver with their partners. They had to complete each activity successfully as a pair or they would have to start the obstacle over. Even if a pair completed an entire revolution around the obstacle course the instructors may have them do it again if it was not completed within a certain amount of time.

Finn had wanted to punch his partner after taking a few cheap shots during the wrestling activity earlier but after eating the equivalent of a Cliff Bar and being awake and working hard for 18 hours, his patience was waning and his partners could do no right on the O-Course. They had to restart every activity in the course at least twice, and after crawling through the mud under barbed wire and traversing the most ridiculous cargo net web possible multiple times, he was about to kill him.

Puck and his partner were getting along much better. He discovered his partner was known as "Tex" and was a few years older than him but had a similar drive and sense of humor, so the pair got along fine even after practically kicking each other's asses during the hand to hand combat earlier. Even though they had to restart a few of the activities during the O-Course, neither of them looked like they despised each other the same way Finn despised his partner. They each fell off the monkey bars a few times, falling into the waist deep and freezing water below, making gripping the bars that much more difficult, the friendly competition between the two helped them both make it through the O-Course twice during the night.

Once the men had completed a solid 20 hours of physically demanding activity and running on little food and sleep, the men were dismissed and returned to their bunks to salvage what little sleep they could before getting up and doing it all over again the next day.

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><p>After 2 days of hand to hand combat, running with logs or carrying other men, and doing the O-Course repetitively, the men were told to report to the waterfront to engage in Combat Water Testing. This required the men to individually climb up a 50 foot tower that was suspended over the water and walk across a 50 foot ledge, stepping up and over an obstacle, before crawling onto a rope and shimmying out to a wooden Ranger placard suspended on the rope. They were to touch the placard before allowing themselves to drop into the water and swim an additional 50 yards to the shore. All of this was to be completed with a calm and controlled demeanor.<p>

By the time the boys had arrived to the beach front, the Ranger candidate group looked a bit smaller, and after asking around a bit, they discovered about 70 people had already dropped out of training after the first few days, Finn's partner being one of them. Finn was glad as he was convinced the wuss couldn't hack it, but after looking up at how high the tower was and hearing about the task they had to complete, both Finn and Puck were pretty sure the Combat Water Testing would weed out a good chunk of the men as well.

And boy were they right. Several men in the line in front of them had climbed up the ladder to the platform but simply couldn't let go of the handrails on the tower to begin the 50 foot walk on the plank. Many ended up coming back down and were thus disqualified from Ranger School. Several more decided to just go ahead and quit before they even got up there. Puck thought they were all pansys for quitting before they had even tried anything, thus letting their fear control their decisions. He and Finn figured it was for the better, as men who were afraid of something as simple as heights may not be the best dudes to be fighting next to in a special forces type of situation, where anything could happen and you had to be able to trust the man next to you to come through for everyone to get out alive.

Finn and Puck inched closer to the front of the line and when they were almost to the front, they rock, paper, scissored for who had to go first. Puck chose rock while Finn chose paper, causing Puck to curse and turn to step up to begin his water testing.

He climbed the ladder and decided not to look down at all until he absolutely needed to. He had never been afraid of heights but one glance down at his feet caused him to feel a little bit of vertigo from that altitude. The reality sunk in that if he misplaced one step, he would plummet into the water 50 feet below. So he swallowed the lump forming in his throat and began to walk calmly, placing one foot in front of the other and balancing himself with his outstretched arms. He made it to the midway point, stepping up and over the small stairs obstacle before finishing out his walk on the plank.

He got to the rope tie-off and that is where things got tricky. He had to basically fling himself off of the plank, clearing a gap between the rope tie-off and the plank and grab on to this rope in such a way where he could suspend himself upside down so he could shimmy down and touch this Ranger placard. He had watched a few men go before him so he kind of had an idea of how to do this, but he couldn't take the time to overanalyze the right way to go about hurling himself off this ledge, so he just went for it. He leapt, clearing the gap with ease and clutching for the rope, flinging his arms and legs around it once he felt it under his palms. He shimmied down the rest of the rope before reaching out to tag the Ranger placard hanging from the rope. He let his legs down and looked down at the water below him and almost lost his wits about him when he saw how far down it looked, but he reasoned it was the lack of sleep and his mind playing tricks on him and it couldn't be any worse than when he and the boys had gone cliff jumping at the lake a few summers back, so he took a deep breath and let go.

He thought he had been falling for a while when he suddenly felt the water smack his feet and engulf his whole body. Once the shock of the cold water had registered and he stopped sinking, he swam to the surface and did his best freestyle stroke toward the shore, which was exceedingly difficult considering the water temperature was in the low 50's and he was wearing his full camouflage uniform and boots. However, Puck paddled hard and made it to the shore in good time, earning him a pass for the testing portion.

Puck climbed back up on shore and gathered near some flaming barrels the instructors had lit to help keep the candidates who completed the testing warm while the others went, glancing back up at the apparatus just in time to watch Finn go. Puck knew Finn had a slight fear of heights as he was always the last to want to jump off the small cliffs and rock outcroppings at the lake, but he figured that Finn wouldn't back down now, especially after watching Puck complete it successfully first. Their friendly competition their entire lives had helped shape each man into who they were today, and if it weren't for the other pushing them, there is no way they would have been half as successful as they were in football their junior and senior years, or made it as far as they had in Glee Club, or even done half as well as they had in their Army careers up until this point. Puck would be the first to admit their competitive nature with one another had caused a few fights over the years, namely the fact that both of Finn's girlfriends had cheated on him with Puck, one of which ended up pregnant and the drama that ensued almost ruined their friendship permanently, but overall it had benefitted the both of them. That and Puck would never admit that sleeping with Quinn in the first place their sophomore year was mistake. Quinn had a point when she said the drama and the baby had brought them together and they were together now and very happy, so he could not feel bad about the one night that changed his whole life for the better and led him to Quinn. The whole kissing Rachel thing while she was dating Finn junior year however, was a total low blow, and he did feel really bad about that. But now everything had worked itself out for the better. He had Quinn and his best friend was with Rachel and both couples were happy. No harm, no foul.

He had been so lost in his thoughts he almost missed Finn's turn on the tower. By the time he looked back up at where he was at, he saw Finn leap across the gap and snag the rope with easy, shimmying down to touch the sign and letting go easily, plunging into the water. He watched his friend surface and swim to the shore, the instructors waiting to tell him he passed. Puck walked down to where he was climbing up the sand, slapping his friend across the back and congratulating him on making it look easy.

They sat around the fires watching the other men attempt the apparatus or simply quit before even trying. An hour later, the instructors excused them to get changed into fresh uniforms and grab all their gear before being told to report back at the beach for their next assignment. They ran as fast as their sopping wet uniforms would allow them to run, and changed in record time, meeting back down at the waterfront.

Their next assignment was a 10 mile run, in all their gear with their 70 lb packs on, to the next barracks location. Any man who stopped running along the way was dropped from the Ranger class as well. At this point, it was every man for himself, and it became a test of endurance, both physical and mental. As the boys ran, they saw several of their fellow classmates stop running, conceding to instructors that they wanted to drop out and being picked up by the trucks that drove along the side of the soldiers to make sure everyone was still following instructions.

By the time they arrived at their next encampment several hours later, their class had once again dwindled in size. Puck looked around at the remaining men and after a quick count, figured that over a hundred of the 300 men that started out with them 3 days prior had already dropped. He was exhausted and his stomach was starting to hurt from the lack of food, but he quickly steeled himself, telling himself that focusing on stuff like that was what the weak-minded did and that kind of thinking was the kind of thinking the men who had already dropped had, so he couldn't let himself go soft mentally, no matter what. He could hear Finn's stomach grumble as well, so he told Finn the same thing and the boys made a quick pact that they would make it through this thing no matter what. They were hell-bent on getting their Ranger tabs and berets and the only people that could stop them were themselves.

Once they made it to the encampment, they were allowed a small MRE (meal ready to eat that usually comes in a freeze-dried pouch) and water before they turned in for bed. These days, it seemed like as soon as their heads hit the pillow, they were jerked awake again by their instructors telling them of another assignment.

Early the next morning, they began their first official Ranger School cycle. The first few days had been more of a weeding-out and evaluation process, and the next several weeks were the actual training. The next 20 days they were all to be split up into smaller companies and groups and would each individually be put in charge of leading an assault mission on a particular target. Puck and Finn had been separated into different groups, but Puck was reunited with Tex, so he was glad to have one familiar face in his group.

The first several days and nights were a series of different missions, each with a different man in charge of planning and executing the operations. Puck was the youngest and lowest ranking of all of the men in his company he didn't care. He liked the fact that everyone treated him like an equal and there were no distinguishing factors when it came to rank among the men. They had to treat everyone as equals in Special Forces, because if everyone was hung up on who was higher ranking, nothing would get done. He understood the higher the rank, the more respect they had earned, and he got that, but it was nice to be treated normally, instead of lowly like he had been treated the past 6 months.

However, after taking part in several simulated missions and watching each of the different individuals try and lead the group of men in their own way, he learned a direct approach to issuing orders and accounting for his men was the best way to go. His company was rather large and the instructors seemed to be picking men who were a bit higher ranking to plan these missions. Puck knew he was lower on the totem pole and knew they were all being evaluated heavily on the success or failure of their operations, and while he had seen the instructors rip apart those who were deemed to have failed and found things to yell about even with those who had succeeded and he didn't want to get ripped a new one, he did find himself wanting an opportunity to show the instructors he could do it, regardless of his age or rank. He wanted to prove it to himself and the instructors that he was worthy of that Ranger tab. Even though their time in the woods in Georgia was almost up, he still had plenty of time in the next few phases of Ranger School to take the initiative and lead.

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><p>After 20 days of training out in the woods near Fort Benning were up, the men were slated to return to their original camp and load up onto a plane to fly to their next destination: the mountains of Colorado. The instructors issued each man a parachute and loaded the men up on military transport planes. Puck was excited to see Finn again after all this time and they were able to sit next to one another on the plane. It would be a good opportunity to catch up and compare how their respective groups had done and speculate on how the rest of school would be. They would even be able to catch a bit of sleep, as the instructors had only been allowing the men a maximum of 4.5 hours of sleep a night. The men were all practically walking zombies at this point, chewing coffee grounds to try and help them stay awake on missions and trying to prevent themselves from falling asleep while standing up. Puck was keen to get a few hours rest as it was, but seeing Finn again gave him a slight renewed burst of energy.<p>

Once they had taken off, the instructors briefed them on what to expect in the upcoming 20 days they would spend in Colorado. Nearly every war that has been fought has had some mountain element in it. It is key for Special Forces soldiers to know how to traverse and fight in mountain conditions and where better to train for any type of mountain terrain than in Colorado. They were told they would be jumping out over a landing zone or valley area in the mountains and they would find maps and the proper orienteering materials in their packs to find their designated encampments. They would have to hike in and secure the area the first night, then their respective instructors would conduct war simulations and missions similar to those they did in Georgia over the remaining days.

Puck and Finn swapped a few stories before they were both lulled to sleep by the plane engines. Four hours later they were awakened by the instructors telling them to pull on their packs and get ready to jump. Finn and Puck helped each other strap their chutes on and prepare to jump when Finn suddenly looked at Puck and said that since they weren't in the same company and would be in different places, he figured he would wish Puck a happy birthday now since he wouldn't get to tell him in a few days time. Puck thought about it for a second and realized his birthday was coming up soon and was slightly bummed he would be running war missions all day, but in the end it would be worth it. He thanked Finn and told him he would see him soon before Finn lined up in front of him and followed his company out the back of the plane, jumping out into the sky.

Puck lined up behind his company and followed suit shortly thereafter, pulling his chute and landing in the designated area. His company regrouped and headed off toward their encampment.

* * *

><p>After several more days of grueling mountainous hiking, combat mission training, and shooting target practice that Puck thought was more appropriate for people training to be snipers, the day came when he heard his name being called out by the instructor and being told to report in. He emerged from the group and snapped to attention in front of his instructor waiting for orders. The instructor explained that it was Puckerman's 19th birthday and as a present, he was now in charge of the mission that was to be executed that day. Several of the men laughed at his "birthday gift" but Puck saw it as a chance to show what he was made of.<p>

He spent several hours pouring over the logistics of the mission they were execute that night, and while ambushing a hummer on a mountain road seemed easy, he knew nothing would ever go as planned. As the operation got underway, Puck led his men through the danger zones and the kill zones to ambush the humvee, suppressing the enemy fire along the way and retreating out of the danger zones once again, accounting for all of his men in the process. It was shaky at times and did not go as smoothly as he would have liked, but all in all it earned him a coveted "go" grade, the equivalent of a pass.

Puck was ecstatic he was able to make the best of his opportunity and earned a "go" rating over some men who were older and more seasoned in combat than he was who had earned "no go" on other missions. All he had to do now was keep his nose clean and work hard, no matter how tired or hungry he was.

* * *

><p>After their 20 days in Colorado were up, they were airlifted from the valley they initially dropped into by helicopters and flown to Peterson Air Force Base, where they loaded up on their transport planes to fly to their next destination for the remainder of their training: the beaches and glades of Florida.<p>

Finn was able to search Puck out and sit next to him on their flight back across country and the boys talked all about their missions in the mountains. Finn and Puck both agreed that, under any other circumstances, Colorado would be beautiful and that they should come back sometime for vacation to hike or snowboard or something. Puck figured Quinn would love it and the scenery would make for some amazing photographs, but until they were able to go back and enjoy it for any other reason besides freezing their asses off and running through the snowy mountainous terrain on war missions, Colorado would remain a bad experience on their list of experiences in the Army thus far.

They chatted a bit before Puck felt himself starting to drift off to sleep, only to be nudged by Finn again. "So, do you miss her?" Finn asked.

"Quinn?" Puck responded, "Yeah, of course. Why?"

"I dunno. It's just sucked this time around you know? When we were going through basic, we were at least able to get letters and stuff. Now, it feels like we're going through hell times ten, and when I could use the pick-me-up letter from Rachel, we're not allowed to receive them since we're all over the country training."

Puck thought about it for a moment. Had it really been over a month since he had heard from Quinn? "Dude, I feel ya on that one." He replied, "Don't get me wrong, I love Q and all, and I think about her a lot…but does it make me a shitty boyfriend if I've been too damn tired and worn out from all of this to wonder why she hasn't written me yet?"

"Kinda," Finn joked with a laugh, "But I don't know man. I can't stop thinking about Rachel. Worrying about how she is doing or if she is alright? I know I need to focus on what's going on here and its obviously been a distraction since I got a 'no go' on my mission for being too tired and miscounting the men in my company at the end. I just want to know if she's ok is all. I hate the uncertainty."

"I know how you feel. I hope Quinn is doing alright too. I miss her like hell and can't wait til I see her again. But at the same time, I know she's a tough cookie and she's taking care of herself right now. And if she's not, Santana is taking care of her so its all good. Rach is the same way Finn, If not an even tougher cookie than Q is. She is probably sitting there singing about how her boyfriend is out there kicking asses and taking names right about now. Hell, she may have even written her own damn Broadway production about it at this point," Puck joked. "Dude, she totally supports you, and she's totally fine, and she would want you to stay focused and give it everything over the next 18 days. We're almost done." Puck raised an eyebrow and managed one of his signature smirks, albeit a slightly exhausted one, "Then after that, you can fly to New York and show off the new super badass addition to that uniform she loves so much: that sweet Ranger tab."

"Very true," Finn nodded in agreement, "When the fuck did you get so wise?"

"No clue dude, I guess I just have my moments. Just don't tell anybody. It would ruin my rep."

Finn laughed before getting serious again, "I won't. But I swear to God, if I survive this ordeal and graduate Ranger School, the first thing I am going to do is ask that girl to marry me."

Puck snapped his eyes open and stared at his best friend, "Woah, what did you just say?"

Finn looked at him and nodded, "You heard me, if I survive this, I am asking Rachel to marry me. The next time I see her, I'm asking her."

Puck scratched his head before responding, "Don't you think this is a little sudden? I mean you're both only 19, she's in New York and you're gonna be stationed who knows where." Puck saw Finn's jaw clench in resolve, so he continued, "Are you sure about this, man? This is a big step."

Finn relaxed a bit after seeing his friend concede, "I am positive. I've loved her since I met her, don't tell Quinn that, and I knew I wanted to be with her and only her after going through our separation and getting back together after nationals our junior year. After being apart from her for this long, I know I wanna spend the rest of my life coming home to her. If that means cutting my military career short to live in New York so she can perform on Broadway, so be it. Or if she wants to move around with me wherever the Army sends me, so be it. I just need her in my life permanently, and I see no reason to wait. Life is too short, Puck." Finn closes his eyes and lays his head back against the wall.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Puck replies, "Look, if you need any help planning it or whatever, just let me know. You're my boy and if she makes you happy and you're sure about this, I'll support whatever you wanna do."

"Thanks man, I appreciate it."

Puck smiles and elbows Finn, "Yeah, but asking Rachel to marry you isn't going to be the first thing you do if you survive this."

Puck is now grinning that shit-eating grin and Finn looks up at him nervously, "What do you mean, not the first thing I do."

"Oh please, if we survive this shit, the first thing we're doing is finding a tattoo parlor and we're getting inked to remember our victory over Ranger School."

"Hell no."

"Um, yes…and girls find tattoos, especially military ones, to be super hot." Puck smiles at Finn's hesitation before adding, "And plus, you think your uniform makes Berry hot? What happens after you get out or it stops working? A tattoo would permanently ensure her panties are always wet for you big guy."

"Hey! You better get that fucking image out of your head before I beat it out of you, Puckerman."

"Calm down Frankenteen," Puck jokes, "I'm getting one too, and the only panties I want in belong to a Ms. Quinn Fabray. And mmm, I can't wait to see her reaction…I did tell you about the way she practically jumped me in my camo after our fight. It's gotten ten times better since then and I need to stop talking about this right now or the mental images in my head will make shit kinda embarrassing for me the rest of this flight."

"Whatever dude," Finn just laughed and leaned his head back against the wall again and shortly thereafter, both boys were fast asleep.

* * *

><p>After jumping out of their transport plane over Florida and finding their respective encampments, the Ranger candidates spent the next several days running similar missions to the ones they had already been doing, this time in sand or swampland conditions. Everyone was getting more and more irritable as the days went on, as they were all functioning off of very little sleep and just enough food so the men wouldn't pass out. They all knew it was a test to see if they would be able to survive and stay mentally and physically as strong as they could in high-stress combat situations. As a Special Forces soldier, you have to be tough enough to deal with the worst conditions imaginable, and Ranger School is the way the Army determines who the toughest of the tough are and who can survive real combat missions under all conditions so they make it as real as possible.<p>

Toward the end of Ranger School, day 59 to be exact, each of the companies are assigned a company leader and are briefed on their final assignment which is to storm a makeshift depo in the Everglades where some instructors have taken people as hostages to simulate the Rangers storming a compound, and they are to execute all of this the following night. The companies assemble and plan out their strategies.

At the last minute, hours before they are to storm this compound, the instructors throw the companies a curveball, usurping the leadership from those initially selected and given to the youngest member of the company. Both Finn and Puck are placed in charge of their respective companies at the worst possible time, after all the logistics have been set and everyone is set to go. This comes as a surprise to their other company members, but Puck and Finn know they need to keep control of their men and execute this so they can all pass Ranger School. They both think this is a crazy move, but they have come to realize that the Army operates and functions under a very organized chaos theory so they have stopped asking questions at this point, and resolve themselves to just trying to complete this mission and graduate.

This is a huge test and a huge opportunity to fail for both Puck and Finn, and at the onset of their respective missions, things are a bit chaotic. The boys manage to regroup with their men and reorganize their attack, breaking into the compound only to be met with tear gas and instructors in padded fight suits. The men spread out and neutralize the combatants using close-quarter fighting techniques they were forced to practice the first day of Ranger School, and managed to secure the safety of the hostages before making sure everyone got out and made it to the extraction point.

From there, everyone was picked up by the Army choppers and flown back into Georgia and back to Fort Benning, allowing all of the men to finally breathe and relax a little, knowing it was all over and they would find out if they passed and would graduate in the morning.

Upon landing at Fort Benning, the remaining 70 Ranger candidates left from the original 300 were ushered into a classroom where they filled out peer evaluations on the other soldiers in their company. It is important to know whether the men in your company trust you enough to want to go to war with you, so the instructors take these evaluations very seriously in considering whether to award men with their Ranger tabs or not.

After filling out their reports and evaluations, the men rush off to the mess hall to grab a hearty dinner and then their bunks to get their first night of solid sleep after two months of hell.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Puck and Finn woke up around 8am the next morning after a refreshing 9 hours of sleep. They got dressed, went to the mess hall to eat and then returned to Ranger camp to gather their things and pack before they were required to attend the final debriefing and would find out whether they passed Ranger School and could finally call themselves Army Rangers.

After while, they found themselves standing out in front of the O-Course while the Ranger instructors read off the names of the men who graduated Ranger School and would earn the right to call themselves Rangers. They read off the names alphabetically by last name and as soon as they called out a man's name that started with 'G' Finn found himself closing his eyes and waiting anxiously to hear if they called his out. As soon as he heard the word 'Hudson', the goofiest smile broke out on Finn's face and he turned to Puck, who was waiting with an equally proud smile. If they weren't required to stand at attention, Puck would have gone over and hugged his friend.

One of the instructors came around and pinned the Ranger tab onto Finn's right arm signifying his right to wear that badge for the rest of his life as proof he was now an Army Ranger, before moving on to the next candidate.

Puck heard his friend Tex's real name, Miller, called and was happy for him as well, but hated the wait he was having to endure, having a last name close to the end of the alphabet. After what seemed like forever, the instructor called out a candidate with the last name that started with 'O' and Puck felt himself hold his breath in bated anticipation. He sent up a few quick prayers before he heard the name 'Puckerman' called out. He couldn't control the grin on his face as well, even though he tried so hard not to let the instructor who pinned his tab on his arm see his smile. The instructor gave him a slight smile in return and congratulated him, referring to him as 'Ranger.'

After they were dismissed, Finn bounded up to Puck shaking his hand in congratulations before pulling him into a man hug. Tex came over and congratulated both of them as well and they stood there for a while longer basking in their success and overall survival through one of the most grueling military training courses in the US military.

Once they were finished, they headed back to their bunks to collect their gear. They needed to stop by the admin office to find out about their next assignment before they would head out on the town with a few of their fellow Rangers for a few drinks to celebrate. Their classmates knew a few places that were less than strict on carding minors, so they figured they would snag a few beers before figuring out what they were going to do with their weeklong leave after they left Georgia.

They both were anxious to pick up their new postings and assignments, wishing and praying they were not posted somewhere across the country and even further away from their girlfriends, but they also hoped they would be posted together again as well. It was nice to have someone who was practically your brother nearby for moral support once in a while, and Puck didn't know what he would do without Finn. They figured they may get posted together though, since they still had about 9 months of more specialized training in a Ranger unit to go through before they could be sent anywhere else and not too many places had these specialization schools.

They gathered their things and made their way to the admin office, picking up their folders and their new assignments. They decided to open them at the same time and Finn practically lost it when he saw his posting. He started bounding around the office and thanking whatever Gods he could think of after he read the assignment: 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. Puck chuckled at his friend's reaction and was incredibly relieved to see he received the same posting as well. The two of them would stay together and he was ecstatic for Finn, seeing as now he would only be 3 hours away from New York City and thus much closer to Rachel than he was here in Georgia.

Puck looked on the map and attempted to figure out how far it was to Columbus from there, giving up rather quickly to log on to Google Maps and discovered it was a little about 9 and a half hours drive from Columbus to Fort Drum, and a little over 8 hours from Columbus to NYC. While he was slightly discouraged by the distance, he tried to be optimistic about the fact that he was much closer to Quinn in Fort Drum, NY than he was in Georgia or any other state he could have been sent to for that matter. After doing a bit more digging, he discovered that plane tickets on certain airlines that flew to and from Columbus to both NYC and Syracuse, NY (which was only an hour and a half away) were fairly cheap, so he was hoping to work something out where he could fly her out and they could meet up more often these next few months while he was stationed there.

Finn was already back at the admin counter making arrangements to hop on a military transport flight that would drop them off at Fort Dix, NJ the next day and they could then hop on a bus or train to NYC to meet up with Rachel. He was also hell-bent on going out ASAP and finding a ring that would be perfect for her. He had already been looking into it for a while now and knew pretty much what he wanted to get her and what she would like, so it was just a matter of picking it up from a jewelry store. After making arrangements for the next day, Puck convinced Finn to get the ring in New York, as it would be easier to insure from a place closer to where she lived, and they went out to meet up with their friends.

As they walked off the base, Puck pulled out his cell phone and called Quinn, only to have her practically screech in his ear that she loved him and missed him and was sorry she missed his birthday but didn't know how to send him a card or anything. He told her to calm down a bit and that he had some news for her. He told her he and Finn both graduated Ranger School and were now Army Rangers. She started screeching again and was so excited and yelling at Santana and Brittney that he had to hold the phone away from his ear for fear of blowing out his ear drum. He then asked her what she was up to and she told him nothing, since they were on their spring break but there was really nothing to do, so he told her of him and Finn's new posting in New York and asked if she wanted to make an impromptu road trip to New York City this week to spend time with him. He filled her in on Finn's plans and was confused when he was met with silence for a while. He called out for her and she responded that she dropped the phone while throwing things in her suitcase and packing to come out and see him. He gave her all the details he and Finn had come up with in the past 2 hours and they agreed to stay in contact and meet up the next day in NYC.

After hanging up with Quinn, he and Finn set off toward the bar their new Ranger buddies were meeting up at to have a few drinks. He knew military guys could drink, but he was shocked at how several of them were already three sheets to the wind by the time they got there. Puck just rolled his eyes and called them amateurs, to which they responded by lining up drinks on the bar for him and Finn to take down. He knew this would probably turn out somewhat ugly, but he threw caution to the wind and started slamming them back. He was a Ranger now, might as well celebrate that fact!

X-X-X-X-X-X

Puck woke the next morning to the sun beating down on him through the blinds. His head pounded and his mouth tasted like cotton, dirt and cheap whiskey. His whole body hurt, most likely from the combination of the harsh beating it had taken over the past several months and the amount of alcohol he consumed last night.

He took a look around the hotel room he was sleeping in and figured it was the place he and Finn reserved yesterday that was near the airstrip so they could hop on their transport plane quicker the next day, but he had no recollection of how he got there. He looked over at the other bed to find it neatly made, no sign of Finn having slept there. _Oh shit, _he thought, _I just hope he makes it back before this fucking flight this afternoon. _His head was throbbing so he sat up to grab a glass of water before looking down and realizing he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. As in no shirt, no boxers, nothing. Completely stark naked.

He began to rub the sleep out of his eyes when he heard the water shut off. Was the water even running? He hears the shower curtain slide to the side and begins to panic. If Finn is nowhere to be seen, who the fuck is in the shower? Images of Quinn begin to flash before his eyes, and his heart begins to race when he hears the doorknob to the bathroom begin to turn…

* * *

><p><em>Dum, Dum, Dum... TBC<em>

**_A/N: _**_Thanks again for all your kindness and support! I appreciate you all sticking with my story!_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** _Oh wow, I am so sorry it has taken so long to get this posted. I promise I will try and update more frequently, and I want to thank all of you for your patience. Also, thanks again for all of the positive support for this story. I am so glad so many of you enjoy it enough to subscribe to it or to leave reviews. It means a lot!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

_He began to rub the sleep out of his eyes when he heard the water shut off. Was the water even running? He hears the shower curtain slide to the side and begins to panic. If Finn is nowhere to be seen, who the fuck is in the shower? Images of Quinn begin to flash before his eyes, and his heart begins to race when he hears the doorknob to the bathroom begin to turn…_

x-x-x-x-x-x

His slight confusion had morphed into a full blown panic at this point, as he glanced around the room frantically looking for his clothes or signs of other people's clothing but finds none. _Oh Fuck,_ he thinks,_ what have I done?_ He remembers going to the bar last night and throwing back a few shots with the guys, but the rest of the evening is a complete blank.

The last time this happened was the summer after his sophomore year right after Quinn had broken up with him and he was a mess. He went to a party, got absolutely hammered and woke up the next morning to some random girl walking out of his bathroom wearing his t-shirt from the night before.

His head begins to spin as he considers the consequences of his night last night. He hadn't drank a lot in the past several months since he joined the Army, went through boot camp and graduated Ranger School so his tolerance was low, but he wouldn't have slept with some random girl from the bar, would he? Especially knowing he was seeing Quinn the very next day, he wouldn't have done something that stupid…. But then again, he has a tendency to do really stupid things when he's been drinking.

It couldn't be Quinn, since she was still in Ohio and was meeting him in NYC later that day. He had no idea where Finn was, but his bed was still perfectly made and his stuff was missing too, so it was possible Finn was disgusted with Puck's antics if he did bring someone back here and left early. The other guys may rib him a bit about his devotion to his girl, especially given his young age, but they wouldn't have let him take some rando home, would they? Puck could be arrogant and a jackass at times and had a tendency to be flirty when he had been drinking, so picking up girls while intoxicated had never been a problem for him. In that moment he knew he fucked up big time, and he had no idea what he would tell Quinn or explain what had happened since he had no recollection of the evening's events.

Puck heard the door knob squeak and the door began to swing outwards and he felt like he was going to throw up from the worry he now had swirling through his whole body. The door opened and Puck closed his eyes to fend off the inevitable reveal, trying to slow the world from spinning off of its axis when that girl walked out of the bathroom. He heard feet hit the carpet and felt a slight weight tip on the edge of his bed and his whole body tensed, waiting to hear her voice or see what she would do.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Finn's voice rang out in the room, "I understand the hangover spins and the bright light sucks, but seriously, you look constipated holding your face like that."

Puck's eyes snapped open and saw Finn leaning down over his bed wrapped in a towel. He almost jumped out of bed to hug the other man, but remembering he was completely naked under the covers, he refrained from doing so instead opting for a "You scared the shit outta me, man!"

"Me? Why? We were planning on staying here last night."

"I woke up this morning completely naked with no recollection of last night and someone was in the shower. I look over at your side and your bed is still made and all of your shit is gone." Finn just stared at him like he was crazy, and Puck lowered his gaze before continuing, "I seriously thought I did something stupid while I was drunk and brought some chick home and you bailed or something. I don't know."

Finn laughed and Puck glared at him, "Seriously? Wow, that's quite the theory for 8 am after a night of heavy drinking. First thing, for what little of the night I remember, you couldn't stop talking about Quinn, even when the waitress with the huge tits started hitting on you. I think she ended up going home with Tex afterwards anyway. And second, my bed is still made cuz I woke up in the damn bathtub this morning."

Puck quirked an eyebrow at him while Finn turned and grabbed the rest of his bag out of the bathroom and drug it back into the room. Finn saw the questioning stare on Puck's face so he explained, "I woke up with a killer kink in my neck, a massive headache and marker drawn all over my face since I apparently passed out with my shoes on. Speaking of which, you should take a look at the artistic work those buddies of ours did to you, champ." Puck panicked a little and reached up to make sure he still had eyebrows and Finn just laughed and threw him a towel, "Oh, and your clothes from last night are in a bag in the bathroom. They smell like beer, smoke and vomit. It was fucking nasty and I almost chunked when I opened the bag to see what was in there."

Puck felt a huge weight lift off of his shoulders as he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked toward the bathroom to see the damage. He was glad to know nothing had happened last night besides a maybe a little too much booze. He glanced in the mirror and was a bit shocked to see how much black marker was written all over his face. He did have to chuckle a little when he read the words written across his forehead, cheeks and chin: "Who's the fuckin' amateur now?" He remembers calling the other Ranger grads that as soon as he and Finn arrived at the bar and figured he deserved it.

He pulled out his toiletries and raised his hand to start to scrub all of the writing off when he noticed the bandage around his upper arm. He removed the gauze and glanced at what was hidden underneath, smiling widely at what he saw. Tattooed across the outside part of his bicep he saw the Ranger insignia and tab lettering across his arm. He laughed and yelled out to Finn to ask whether he had one too. Finn grumbled before barking a "yeah" and Puck laughed harder. He shouted out "I told ya we would get tats before you got engaged." Puck took the bandage completely off before jumping in the shower and washing away the rest of the stench from the night before. He shaved, brushed his teeth and got dressed and ready for their flight.

After both boys had cleaned up and repacked their gear bags, they headed toward the airstrip and jumped on their transport plane for the 2 ½ hour flight to Ft. Dix, New Jersey.

* * *

><p>Upon landing at Ft. Dix, the boys snagged a taxi and drove straight to the Greyhound station. They caught a bus for the hour and a half drive to NYC. Once situated on the bus, Finn started browsing his smart phone for places to buy Rachel's engagement ring and Puck figured it would be a good time to call Quinn to catch up and see what she was up to. He found out she was still about three and a half hours out and filled her in on the plans he and Finn had planned on the plane. She almost squealed in delight when he told her about Finn buying Rachel an engagement ring and proposing over their break.<p>

After hanging up with Quinn, Finn started telling Puck about more details concerning his plans for proposing. He needed a distraction so he could prepare for his surprise proposal at the top of the Empire State Building that night. He thought of all the different and romantic ways he could ask her, but after running through several ideas, the setting atop the most famous building in New York with its views of the whole city sounded the best. He and Puck figured they could use Quinn to distract her for a little while and maybe go see a show, since Quinn had never been, and Puck would help him get ready and set up for his big proposal.

As soon as the Greyhound came to a stop at the station, Finn practically ran off the bus, eager to begin his ring search and to prepare for the night's events. He and Puck had spend the better part of the ride planning out exactly how he was going to ask Rachel to marry him. Puck had made a few phone calls to some of the box offices in town to try and score a pair of Broadway tickets for the evening and was able to nab a few of the remaining tickets for the girls to go see Chicago. The plan was for the boys to swing by and pick up the tickets on their way to the jewelry store Finn had researched to buy Rachel's ring. They would then meet up with Quinn and discuss implementing their plan for later that evening.

Finn decided it wouldn't be fair to Rachel to not let her in on a little of his plans, so he decided to call her up to see what she was doing for the week. He realized he had been so excited to graduate as a Ranger and to be posted in NY that he had forgotten to call Rachel and tell her the news. He decided it was for the better since he wanted to surprise her, but he figured she should at least get a bit of warning he was coming to visit…she just didn't need to know it was going to be that night. As soon as she picked up the phone, she began screeching, thrilled to finally hear from him after two long months. He questioned her about her schedule and asked what she was up to for the week and he found out she too happened to be on spring break. Finn told her about his new posting with the 10th Mountain Division in upstate New York and how they would only be about 3 hours away from one another now and Puck could hear Rachel's excitement from where he was standing several feet away.

After a bit more chit-chat and questions about her schedule, Finn gave Puck the thumbs-up to call Quinn and let her in on the plan. Puck then called Quinn up to find out where she was on the road and to let her know of the plan for the evening. Quinn was to call Rachel up and let her know about the plans to come to New York to see the boys as well, but also that a friend of hers hooked her up with some tickets to see Chicago that night on Broadway so she was going to come in a day earlier and wanted to invite Rachel to go along. After the girls got all dolled up and attended the performance, Quinn was to take Rachel to the Empire State Building using whatever excuse she could think of and escort her to the top floor observatory where Finn would be waiting to make his romantic proposal. Quinn was only about an hour outside of town, which with traffic, would give Finn and Puck plenty of time to pick up the tickets and meet up with her at the coffee shop they decided on so they could all go together and pick out Rachel's ring.

Rachel was surprised to receive Quinn's call that she was planning on coming to New York spontaneously that day but got over it pretty quickly when Quinn mentioned the tickets she had for the play that night. Anytime Rachel Berry got to go to a Broadway show she was more than happy to go, even if she had already seen it multiple times. Luckily for both girls, neither had ever seen the stage production of Chicago, only the movie, so they were both very excited to get to attend. They made small talk and Quinn told Rachel she would be getting into New York later that afternoon, so they planned on getting ready at Rachel's apartment, going to the performance, then heading out to grab a bit to eat afterwards. Quinn figured this would be the best way to get Rachel over towards the Empire State Building. They agreed and made plans to meet up later that night and said their good byes.

Quinn called Puck back immediately after getting off the phone with Rachel to let him know her end of the plan was set in motion. She would be arriving shortly to meet the boys and they would go pick out Rachel's ring and prepare themselves for the evening they were in for.

* * *

><p>As soon as Quinn parked her car on the bustling Manhattan street outside the coffee shop they agreed upon, her car door was flung open and she was practically yanked out of her seat. She thought she was being mugged, but as she was pulled up and into the tight embrace, she instantly recognized the warmth, feel and smell of her boyfriend. She tried to twist around in his arms to look up at him, but Puck beat her to the punch, turning her in his arms and grasping the nape of her neck, pulling her in for a crushing kiss. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer, holding him again after what seemed like forever for her. She never appreciated how much his touch and the feel of him against her affected her until she had slept with him and felt him around her over winter break then had to go without him for over two months. His lips continued to caress hers, his tongue exploring her mouth as they continued to make-out on that bustling Manhattan block. She felt overwhelmed and needy all at the same time, pulling against him and grasping his neck. In that moment, she couldn't help feeling like she was in that iconic photograph of the sailor and the nurse kissing in Times Square after WWII had ended, only she wasn't a nurse and he wasn't a sailor. No, he was her badass Ranger and she savored the feel of his arms around her and his lips making love to hers.<p>

They continued their embrace until someone cleared their throat nearby. Quinn broke away from the kiss to turn and see a blushing Finn trying not to stare directly at the couple practically attacking each other in the street. She brought her fingers to her lips and tried to fend off the flush creeping up her cheeks. She said a brief hello before looking back up at Puck, getting her first good look at him since he grabbed her. She was amazed at what she saw. She glanced back at Finn as well, giving him a quick once-over before staring at Puck again. While they were so familiar to her and it had only been a little over two months since she saw them both last, they both looked like they had grown, aged and matured a bit in that short time span.

They both looked very fit and in shape when they came home after boot camp but holy crap they looked even more amazing now. Finn looked like he had leaned out some more during Ranger School, having lost some of his post-football mass and his facial features became more prominent. Puck's face had lost some of its roundness as well, helping distinguish his chiseled cheekbones better and making his dimples more prominent. She loved his dimples and his smile and was thrilled to see it sneak up his face at the look of shock on hers. He looked as though he had gotten bigger where as Finn looked leaner, but as she placed her hand on his chest she found out immediately that it was all muscle. Chiseled, sculpted, delicious Puck muscles. She could feel the heat spreading throughout her body at the thought of what he would look like without clothes on but that would have to wait for later in the evening. Right now, they were on a mission with a deadline.

x-x-x-x-x-x

After a few hours of errands with the boys, Quinn completely understood why they both had done so well in the Army thus far. They worked very well as a team and had taken care of everything on Finn's "to do" list with military organization, precision and accuracy. It actually sort of scared her a little how much they had accomplished in such a limited amount of time.

Finn knew what kind of cut of diamond would look good on Rachel and once they had made it to the fancy jewelry store near the theater district, it took little time to find the cut he wanted. He also knew what size her left ring finger was after breaking down and buying her a promise ring their senior year. He thought it was cheesy at the time, since they had been sleeping together for a while and he was a little confused as to what else you would promise and Sam had already pulled the same stunt with Quinn which bombed, but the reaction Finn got after giving Rachel the ring was totally worth it in his opinion. Quinn ended up explaining that a promise ring was like a promise to marry someone, and didn't necessarily have to promise to save themselves for marriage, he was thrilled he ended up getting her one since he now knew what size she wore, making the whole process easier. Finn walked away with a beautiful one carat diamond solitaire set in white gold. Puck walked away looking slightly nauseated at how girlishly giddy Finn was and Quinn walked away with a twinge of jealousy that Rachel and Finn were getting engaged and a shred of hope that Puck may eventually follow suit.

They then went to pick out a gorgeous bouquet of flowers he could give her and headed toward the Empire State Building to buy the tickets to get up to the top. He spoke to the manager, who was quite accustomed to accommodating for proposals, and informed them that they had not sold too many tickets for that evening, so they may actually have their very own private event, complete with a jazz saxophonist that played up there every night. Finn bought the tickets and they thanked the manager, heading out toward the hotel Puck booked a room at for the week.

Finn decided to make it easy and just wear his dress uniform. Military personnel are allowed to wear their dress uniforms only for specific occasions, but he knew the rules and this was one of those specific special occasions. He was proud of all of his accomplishments and his new Ranger tab and he wanted to show it off a little. Plus the uniform got Rachel all sorts of hot and bothered, and that was definitely the reaction he was looking for tonight. Well, after a "yes" to his big question that is.

Quinn had brought a black dress to change into at Rachel's before they went out and since everyone else was going fairly dressy, Puck figured he might as well wear his dress uniform as well. While he wasn't doing any proposing or going to any play tonight, he had agreed to film the big surprise and proposal on Quinn's digital camera so he would be in on it too and didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of his group.

The play was at 8 pm and Rachel and Quinn had agreed to meet at her apartment at 6:30 to give them plenty of time to get ready and get to the theater. In the short amount of time since they had finished running their errands and checked in to the hotel, Finn began to get nervous. Not because she wouldn't say yes or anything like that, but mainly because he didn't want to screw anything up. Sure they had thrown all of their plans together in less than 2 days and it felt so right to ask her to marry him, but he had never been all that great at articulating his feelings or getting the words right so he was sweating bullets trying to think of the perfect words to use when popping the question. Puck suggested they go for a run or go lift in the hotel gym to take his mind off it a little and relieve some stress and Finn was more than happy to accept. Even though they had just been through physical hell and back for the past 61 days, a light jog would help relax some of the tension Finn was now feeling.

The boys began to change into their workout gear and Quinn turned the other way to give them some privacy. They started laughing when they saw what she was doing and Finn apologized and excused himself before walking toward the bathroom, explaining they just got so used to changing quickly that it didn't matter who was there.

Puck just chuckled and made a remark about the fact that she had seen him naked already so it was nothing new. He walked in front of her in just his boxers and Quinn just about lost it and jumped him right there. The heat she felt earlier when he kissed her for the first time in months returned and she was practically itching to run her fingertips and tongue over every sensuous and mouth-watering cut and crevice on his body. He had gotten bigger during Ranger School and most certainly not in a bad way. His chest and abs had gotten bigger and even more distinct if it was even possible, giving him the sexiest cut lines she couldn't wait to trace with her tongue. His shoulder and back muscles had filled in and were far more defined and delectable than before, creating the most perfect crevice running down his spine giving her the perfect place to grasp and hold him while he was working his magic on top of her. Then she noticed the tattoo… and although she had always thought tattoos were stupid, the tattoo on Puck's arm was incredibly sexy and it got Quinn hotter with every flex and movement Puck made. His arms were huge now, probably from all of the push-ups, and just imagining those arms holding him up above her as the rest of his incredible body thrust upwards, making her feel like she was flying when he made love to her, or having those arms wrapped around her as they slept was enough to make her want to straddle him right then and there and take what she had been dreaming of since they last parted. She felt a bit pervy considering how much she had thought about sex since he had left after break, but staring at him now and feeling the flames of need building low in her stomach made the wait totally worth it. Too bad they would have to wait a few more hours before they could actually act on their desire.

Puck turned and noticed Quinn staring at him, tossing her one of his trademark smirks before asking her if she liked what she saw. She simply nodded and he walked back over to where she sat on the bed, pushing her backwards and grasping her legs, wrapping them around his waist before going in for a searing kiss. Quinn ran her fingers down his chest slowly, savoring every part of the trail they were blazing. Puck caressed Quinn's thighs through her jeans and pressed himself into her a bit harder, letting her feel just how much he wanted her and earning a moan in response.

Just as soon as things started to get a bit more heated, they heard a throat clear from the other side of the room and a "Really guys? I have to witness this twice in one day?"

Puck pushed off of Quinn and helped pull her to her feet. She blushed and offered a quick apology to Finn before telling them she was heading out to Rachel's and that she would have her phone on if they needed to text her for whatever reason. She asked if Finn needed anything else and he ran off a quick checklist consisting of ring, flowers, Empire State Building, uniform, and Quinn the distraction before saying he had nothing else. Quinn placed a quick kiss on Puck's cheek before practically running out of the room to avoid the temptation to finish what she and Puck started.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As she walked outside and hailed a cab, the March evening air did nothing to cool her down from the blazing hot she had just been in the room. She kept reminding herself tonight was about Rachel and Finn and they needed everything to be perfect. Then afterwards she and Puck could have their own little reunion. As the cab pulled out into traffic, she thought about how simple Finn's proposal was going to be. She always envisioned her engagement to be a large affair, with lots of candles, flower pedals, the works. But thinking about his 5 item list of the ring, flowers, Empire State Building, uniform, and her as a temporary distraction made the small affair sound even better. Sure it was the Empire State Building, but everything else was simple, no crazy bilboards or additional distractions. Just Finn, Rachel and the question that would link them together for the rest of their lives. Well, them and Puck and Quinn, quietly filming and observing the big moment from afar.

And finally it clicked. She had always thought guys were naturally idiots, and sometimes they acted that way. But guys aren't really all that stupid. They're simple, not stupid. Maybe simple was better anyway.

Shortly thereafter, she arrived at Rachel's apartment, where the petite brunette stood outside waiting for her arrival. The girls hugged and hurried inside, eager to share a glass of wine while getting dressed and ready to go out for the evening. It didn't take long to fix their hair and make-up and put on their "Broadway finest" as Rachel called it and they were outside on the curb hailing a taxi in no time. Quinn pulled the tickets out of her purse and hands them to Rachel to look at.

"Oh these are such great seats! Who did you get them from?" Rachel asks.

Quinn contains her smirk, offering an "Oh, just a friend from school who couldn't end up making it tonight."

Rachel smiles widely and gives her a half hug, "This is going to be so much fun! It will definitely be a night to remember."

Quinn smiles brightly back at her as they pull up to the cub near the theater. _Oh, you have no idea Rachel,_ she thinks as she steps out on to the sidewalk and head into the theater.

* * *

><p>After a quick workout and bite to eat, it is time for the boys to start getting ready to head to the Empire State Building. Quinn shot Puck a text a while ago letting him know intermission was almost over and they probably had about an hour or so until they were headed that way. The boys showered, shaved and got dressed in their dress uniforms, Finn glancing down at least a thousand times to check and make sure he still had the ring in his pocket.<p>

They hail a taxi and head for the Empire State Building, all the while Puck reassuring Finn that he will be fine and there is nothing to worry about while Finn dabs away the sweat on his brow. They pull up to the building just as they get a text from Quinn: "Jumping into a cab now and we're headed your way… see ya in 10 minutes. Good Luck Finn!"

The boys jump on the elevator and make their way to the 102nd floor observatory, where they are met by the incredible New York skyline and the saxophonist who plays there in the evening. Otherwise, they are all alone. _It's almost perfect,_ Finn thinks,_ now I just need to be able to say what I practiced, remember to get down on one knee and ask her…and hopefully she says yes. She will say yes. I think she will at least. What if she doesn't, then what? No, stop! It will be fine just do what you practiced!_

Puck gets a text from Quinn letting him know they made it and they're on their way up. He sees Finn worrying internally as he is standing there waitingso Puck claps him on the back and tells him the girls are almost there and he is glad he doesn't have to play the accordion or sing any more Lady and the Tramp songs for this date. Finn chuckles and Puck wishes his best friend good luck and goes to stand off to the left of where Finn is, preparing the camera to record everything.

The elevator door dings and Finn can hear the clicking of heels on the concrete as the girls walk out onto the landing. _Here it goes, Finn! Don't mess this up!_

"Quinn, I love you and all, but why did we need to come up here tonight? It's gorgeous and all but you're here for the whole week. Why couldn't we have waited for the boys to get here? It could have been super-romantic and all." Rachel asks, walking up to the railing and looking out over the city.

Quinn smiles at her before replying, "It already is super-romantic and all. Just you wait."

Rachel glances over at her smiling friend and quirks her eyebrow in confusion, "What? What do you mean?"

Quinn glances down before looking up and seeing Finn emerge from around the side of the building behind Rachel, "It already is pretty romantic. See?" as she gestures over Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel furrows her brow even more as she turns to see what Quinn is looking at. The sight is enough to make Rachel's heart stop. There is Finn, standing tall and proud in his US Army uniform, holding a bouquet of the most beautiful lilies she thinks she has ever seen. A wide grin appears on her face when the shock of seeing him there has worn off and she takes in his smile and features before launching herself across the short distance separating them and jumping into his arms. Her arms loop around his neck as he hoists her up off the ground and twirls her around, bringing her in for a kiss.

By this time, Quinn has stepped back a little to stand near where Puck emerged from with the camera. As Finn began to twirl Rachel, Quinn couldn't help crack a smile, "How cliché."

Puck laughs and shushes her, reminding her the camera is on. She quietly apologizes and steps back further to watch the scene unfold.

After their initial reunion and mini-makeout session, Finn sets Rachel back on the ground. She begins to barrage him with questions. "What are you doing here? When did you get in? Why didn't you call me when you got here?" She glances back toward where she left Quinn standing and sees Puck next to her holding a digital camera with a blinking red light. "Oh hey Noah," she offers quickly looking back at Finn. She does a double-take and glances back at Puck and Quinn again, then looks back at Finn, "Wait, what is going on here?"

Finn sets the flowers down and grasps both of Rachel's hands, mentally preparing himself to give his speech. "Rach, you and I have been through a lot over the past few years. I think it's safe to say we have both grown a lot as individuals and our relationship grew with us. We have had our ups and downs, plenty of drama as well as joy, and I know, from the bottom of my heart, that there is nobody else in this world I would rather have those ups and downs with than you. You are my everything Rach, and I love you with my whole heart."

Rachel clenches one of her hands in his, her other hand moving up to cover her mouth as her jaw drops when she realizes what he is doing, "Oh God, Finn…"

He grins down at her before joking, "Will you let me finish? I'm not done yet."

Rachel's eyes grow big and she can't help let out another "Oh God," before the tears start leaking out of her eyes.

Finn wipes away one of her fallen tears and continues, "Leaving you and joining the Army was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, but your letters and love and promises of visits whenever we could manage is what kept me going when times got rough. I need you in my life Rachel. Forever." He smiles before bending down on one knee and grasping the little black box from his front jacket pocket.

"Oh my God, Finn. OH MY GOD!" Rachel cries as the tears begin to cascade down her face.

"Rachel Berry, I love you with every part of my being. Would you do me the greatest honor I could ever imagine by becoming my wife? Will you marry me?"

Tears are flooding her vision and her body starts to shake with the excitement as he slides the ring onto her finger. It is absolutely perfect, he is absolutely perfect, and this moment is absolutely perfect. Rachel chokes back a slight laugh and smiles brightly as she leans down to kiss Finn, whispering "Yes" before meeting his lips with hers.

Finn smiles up into the kiss before standing up and picking her up again, kissing her and hugging her harder as she repeats her answer over and over again, the couple savoring the moment with one another. They hear applause coming from off to the side of them and break apart to see Quinn and the saxophonist clapping for them and Puck still filming with the camera, a wide grin across his face as well.

They walk over to where their friends are standing and Rachel shows them all her ring as they bask in their moment for a little while. The saxophonist begins to serenade the new couple as they hold each other and look out over the skyline, while Puck and Quinn sneak over to the other side of the building, opting for a little privacy of their own.

Quinn looks out over the railing at the city below as Puck wraps his arms around her from behind. They chat a little about the play and how nervous Finn was on the way over but the close proximity has both of their blood pumping hard through their veins. The holding turns into caressing which begins to lead to groping, until Rachel announces Finn and her are headed home for the evening and tells them not to wait up, tossing out a Rachel Berry smirk before jumping into the elevator and heading down. Quinn and Puck enjoy the skyline for a little while longer, dancing and swaying to the saxophonist, before they too decide to head down and back to their hotel.

x-x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Rachel had managed to unlock her apartment door, she turned around and pounced on Finn, unbuttoning his uniform jacket and loosening his tie as she nipped at his jaw and ear. Finn shuddered at the contact, sucking in a quick breath before kicking the door closed and walking Rachel back to her bedroom.

Clothes trailing behind them and strewn across the floor, Finn laid Rachel down on her bed and proceeded to slowly kiss her, caressing her body before succumbing to her whimpered pleas and the couple made leisurely love together, not having a care in the world about anything except sharing their happiness with one another.

As they come down off of their high, Finn notices her staring and smiling at the ring on her left ring finger. "Do you like it?"

"It is absolutely beautiful, Finn. It's perfect!" Rachel replies.

"Quinn and Puck thought so too," Finn tells her, smiling back.

"Wow, you guys sure planned for everything together, didn't you?"

"No, not really. I planned, they were accomplices. And a female perspective was nice in the jewelry store. Your dads knew too, though they didn't know exactly when I was gonna ask."

"You asked my dads? For permission?" Rachel questions, tears forming in her eyes again.

"Of course, sweetheart," Finn gently stokes her cheek, "It was the proper thing to do."

Rachel smiles up at him, blinking away the tears and kisses him, pulling his shoulders down toward her. He stirs a little and earns a moan from Rachel when he goes to pull out of her. He starts kissing her neck, suckling on her pulse point below her ear and Rachel moans again. "Mmm, I can definitely get used to doing that for the rest of my life," Rachel giggles in his ear.

Finn smiles down at her before he leans back in and growls "me too" before taking her earlobe between his teeth. As he continues to nip at her neck and collarbone, Rachel can feel him growing again on the inside of her thigh. She strokes the back of his neck, playing with the short hair there before licking her lips. "Round two, Fiancé?"

He chuckles against the spot he was sucking on her neck, leaning up and capturing her lips, "Oh hell yes, soon to be Mrs. Rachel Hudson." She giggles against his lips and he flips them over, putting her on top, before she straddles him and braces herself, placing her hands on his chest, preparing for the wild ride the rest of this visit and the rest of their lives is going to be.

x-x-x-x-x-x

In a hotel a few blocks away, Quinn and Puck fumble their way through the door of their room, Puck losing his jacket, tie and belt in the entryway. Quinn breaks away from their heated make-out session and turns away from him, unzipping her dress and letting it pool on the ground as she walks toward the bed.

As soon as the dress hits the floor, Puck looks up to see the incredible line and curves of Quinn's body, sashaying toward the bed in only an itty-bitty lace thong and a pair of black heels. His eyes grow big at the sight in front of him and he quickly begins to strip off the remainder of his clothes while Quinn situates herself. As soon as he is down to his birthday suit, he quickly grabs the box of condoms from his duffle and returns to his oh-so-enticing girlfriend posing provocatively on the bed.

He glances up and offers a quick "thank you" toward the ceiling before climbing onto the bed and sliding over Quinn. He kisses her hard as she pulls him against her, and after while, he continues his exploration further south, caressing, kissing and licking all of her sensitive spots, causing her to cry out in pleasure.

After the foreplay has gotten to be too much and they can both barely contain themselves, Quinn goes to take her heels off while Puck situates himself between her thighs, only to have him turn to her and tell her to keep them on. She smirks up at him before gasping at the intense sensation of him sliding inside of her.

All Puck can think about is how incredible of a woman Quinn is and how lucky he was to get a second chance with her. He looks down at the blonde vixen below him and the rush of blood pounding through his body right now and almost can't believe this is the same innocent girl he fell in love with all those years ago, the same chaste girl who was president of the celibacy club before having wonderful little Beth, and the same sweet girl that agreed to be his again before he left for boot camp. He smirked at the thought of the advice he once got from an uncle of his, "Find a girl who is like a librarian. She's a hellcat in the sack but you can take her home to your mother as well." Watching her writhe underneath him, Puck knew Quinn definitely fit the mold for that one. He loved her unconditionally, but she was a hellcat in the sack, and this week was definitely going to be a workout at this rate.

* * *

><p>News of Finn and Rachel's engagement spread like wildfire among their friends and family. They made all of the necessary calls and received plenty of congratulatory text messages and their Facebook profiles practically blew up with all of the messages. Kurt, Mercedes, Tina and Mike all came over the very next day to congratulate the couple as well, and all were thrilled Puck and Quinn were there to catch up as well. Never to be outdone, as soon as Santana heard all their friends were having a mini-reunion in New York City, she drug Brittney out to the car and the strapped themselves in for a little spring break road trip to see the gang.<p>

Once everyone arrived, they all did the touristy stuff they were not able to do when they were there for nationals their junior year. They visited the Statue of Liberty and Times Square, went on Rachel's Broadway tour, and even get to see Mike perform in a production hosted by Julliard toward the end of their week there.

It was a weekend full of friends, laughter, stories, reminiscence, and if you were Puck and Quinn or Rachel and Finn, lots of sex as well. After Santana and Britt had left early on Friday to head back to Ohio and the others had separated from the group, the fantastic foursome was left to enjoy the rest of their weekend on their own before the girls had to take Puck and Finn up to Fort Drum to begin their training with the 10th Mountain Division.

While Rachel and Finn will only be about three hours away from one another and have the ability to see each other pretty much every other weekend, Quinn and Puck understood it won't be as easy for them. Their last night together, Puck took Quinn out in the city for a fancy dinner but by the end, they both were a bit eager to get back to their hotel room and begin showing each other how much they would miss one another.

Once sufficiently sated, they lie there and talk about what this posting means for their relationship, and while it is still about a nine hour drive from Columbus to Fort Drum and vice versa, they are both thankful that is still closer than when he was stationed in Georgia. They agree they are going to try and make the trip whenever they can, meeting in NYC if it's easier and if plane tickets are cheaper. She tells him that the OSU football team has both Syracuse and West Point on their schedule for next year so they can meet up at the games and such wherever and whenever they can. They both promise to make this work and promise to continue being honest and faithful to one another before losing themselves under the sheets again, murmuring declarations of love against bare skin and kiss-swollen lips.

* * *

><p>The next day, the four of them meet up in the lobby of Puck and Quinn's hotel and pile into the car to make the 2 ½ hour drive north to Ft. Drum, New York to drop the boys off at their new posting with the US Army's famed 10th Mountain Division. After belting out tunes and singing along to whatever songs were on the radio, they arrive at the base and are greeted by the post security guard who then ushers them to the on-base housing units.<p>

After they help them unload, the boys escort the girls back to the front of the base and say their goodbyes. Rachel and Finn's goodbye is sappy as usual, but Puck and Quinn's goodbye proves to be difficult for the both of them. They both realize that this is a more permanent posting and there will be that distance there indefinitely, and while both are thankful they were posted as close as they were and he wasn't assigned a base clear across the country, the goodbye seemed harder this time around.

Puck held her and kissed her, reassuring her he would come visit as soon as he could and that they would work something out soon. Quinn let a few tears sneak out before trying to collect herself and kissed him one last time, savoring the taste of him on her lips. Rachel and Quinn climbed into the car and headed away from the base, watching the boys wave at them in the rearview mirror.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Less than five minutes later, Quinn has to pull off the road, tears flooding her vision. Rachel leans over and pulls Quinn into a hug, rubbing her hands down her back and reassuring her everything will be ok as Quinn sobs into her lap.

Quinn knows she loves Puck with her whole heart, but the separation is getting to her big time and she is already a wreck after leaving him just a few minutes ago. Rachel tells her that the time will fly and they will be able to visit and see each other soon.

She assures Quinn that everything will work out, but Quinn is not so sure she can handle much more of the distance. Each goodbye keeps getting harder and harder and the stress of worrying about him and wanting to be with him keeps getting worse each and every day, and she's not quite sure how much more she can take.

* * *

><p><em>And the drama continues...<em>

_Thanks again for reading! I have loved reading all of your wonderful reviews and it is so nice to see new people popping up and subscribing to this! Thanks for all the love!_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: **__So I am really slacking on the updates and I apologize. Work is getting rather crazy and while I hate making excuses, I will try to update at least once a week from here on out. Also, once again, thank you so much for all of the positive support! Over 60 reviews! You guys are awesome! Love and support like that really help motivate me to keep going. I really appreciate it! Hope you like it!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

As soon as the boys arrived at Fort Drum, New York and were assigned their barracks style apartment on base, it seemed as though their lives didn't slow down one bit. They were able to say their goodbyes to Rachel and Quinn, but after that they unpacked their stuff and had to rush to make it to their security briefing for all incoming or reassigned members of the 10th Mountain Division.

The 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army is one of the most infamous units in the US Military. It is comprised of elite members of several different Army backgrounds, including Army Rangers, Delta Force, Army Snipers, and of course members of the Army Airborne. The 10th Mountain Division has most recently been pulled into action over in Afghanistan to fight against the terrorist threats hiding out in the country's rugged mountainous regions. They work together with the Navy SEALs, Marine Recon and Air Force Special Forces and Pararescue divisions to seek out terrorist cells and gather information critical to successfully combating the threat these cells pose. After a small reunion with their buddy Tex, who was also assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, and brief introductions from their Commanding Officers (CO's), they were given a brief history of the division as well as informed of what they could look forward to regarding training over the next few months.

Upon hearing about the storied history of the division as well as the nature of their missions and what types of training they were all in for, Puck and Finn finally were able to grasp what an honor it was to have been selected for service in this particular unit. They knew they were going to be busy, as their training would consist of long stretches of survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) drills up in the mountains of New York and Colorado, but they knew the challenge would keep them on their toes and it may even be fun. It was like going camping with a bunch of your buddies for long periods of time…only this time, they got to carry big guns with them too.

Once their initial briefings were completed, they were instructed to report to the obstacle course for a little PT before calling it a night. The next morning they were set to begin the first of several weeks worth of training and evaluation to determine what strengths each individual had and what they had to offer a smaller unit or group to make each 8 man team diverse enough to be able to handle any situation they may face.

The men focused on smaller tactical training for the first two weeks. They spent their time practicing and training various skills such as combat vehicle maneuvers, close-quarter combat, field artillery and ordinance training, and target practice. While the snipers of the group focused on distance training and accuracy, the rest of the men practiced with every other gun the US Army could possibly supply them with. While shooting at targets down the range or even out in the training fields was fun, especially because he got to use everything from a handgun to an automatic rifle to a 50 caliber mounted machine gun, Puck had the most fun when it came to the field artillery and ordinance training. It meant he got to blow things up legally and there was nothing quite like firing off a mortar round or two and watching how big of an explosion they truly made. There was nothing like being hunkered down in the dirt and firing off rounds down range only to watch debris and earth fly everywhere once the round hit its target.

After their initial few weeks had gone by, they moved into their mountain phase of training. This phase focused on the tactics and skill the men would need while fighting in rocky, mountainous terrain. They spent several days honing their skills in orienteering and logistics, having been dropped off in a remote area of the mountains and having to find their way to specific locations using only a map and a compass. While it was a race against the clock and they only had a few days to complete what was essentially a giant maze through the woods, the men enjoyed the challenge of having to rely solely on their instincts and a compass to complete the training.

Once they hit their final destination, their commanding officers explained communication methods between members of the unit (as the snipers would take up a position much further away from the other men, thus requiring a specialized method of communication between all men while on a mission) and sent them back out for full blown mission simulations. They would simulate every type of scenario they could be called to do, whether it be a reconnaissance mission or a seek and destroy mission or even a hostage extraction mission, just so the men would be prepared for any possible set of circumstances they may face if they were ever called into action. The commanding officers usually would throw in a few surprises here and there to keep them on their toes, but being as well trained as they were, the men were able to work through the problems and carry out a successful operation.

After the group had shown satisfactory proficiency in their missions out of Ft. Drum, they took a military transport plane out to Ft. Carson in Colorado for more training. They spent close to three weeks training in the mountains out there, facing similar wintery conditions and terrain as in Afghanistan while running simulated operations in the Rockies. After their three weeks were up, they jumped back on a military plane and flew back to New York to complete the rest of their initial training and evaluations.

x-x-x-x-x

Their daily tasks were exhausting and while Finn had always made it a point to call Rachel every to every other evening once they returned to their rooms, Puck had the tendency to drag himself into the shower before either collapsing on the couch to watch TV or just passing out in bed. The days were long and tedious and while Puck had tried to call Quinn frequently, their schedules made it difficult to find a time that worked for both of them to talk.

As they moved out into the field for their woods and mountaineering maneuvers, Puck found himself forgetting to call as often as he used to. He would remember he hadn't talked to her in a few days and would always feel guilty when he saw he had three or four missed calls from her on his cell phone, but he would just make a mental note to call her the next day before passing out from exhaustion. He knew he wasn't being the best boyfriend in doing so, but Quinn would understand. Their training schedule was hectic but Quinn knew their job was not exactly normal, so he knew she wouldn't mind if he called her back a day or two later.

* * *

><p>As the weeks drug on, Quinn became more and more frustrated with her and Puck's relationship. The distance was starting to take its toll on her and while she missed him like crazy and wished he was closer than 9 hours away, it was the growing emotional distance between the two of them that got to her the most. She had yet to see him or visit again since they last saw each other over Spring Break and that had been almost two months ago.<p>

While she could go for a while without physically seeing him, the lack of communication between the two of them was getting to be a problem. She would call or email him and sometimes, if she was lucky, she could catch him for all of 5 minutes before he had to be pulled away for whatever reason. He would rarely email back promptly and she knew he didn't have access to a computer as often as a phone but she always felt like she was the instigator of most of their calls and talks. For the first few weeks he was at Ft. Drum, Puck would call her every to every other night, chatting for even 10-15 minutes, and while that wasn't too much, at least he called. As time went on, the calls became more and more infrequent and they started bickering over small things, their words escalating into much bigger fights over time and that was starting to bother Quinn quite a bit.

She knew he was busy and he had given her a heads up that he would be on a training run out in Colorado for three weeks and probably wouldn't hear from him during that time, she was just frustrated and hurt at the fact that it felt as though he was starting to forget her or not want to be with her anymore. That he was starting not to care anymore. He had his own life in the Army and she had hers, and while she knew it would be tough to keep it all together while they were apart, she figured their connection was strong enough to keep them together despite the distance but lately she had her doubts on their lasting power if this is how it was going to be between them.

It wasn't like Quinn was just sitting around by the phone waiting to hear from him. She kept herself quite busy given her schedule this semester. Even though it was the off-season for cheering, they still had practice every other day and the squad was expected to stay in good shape over the off season, so the days they didn't have practice she, Britt and Santana all went to work out on their own. They wanted to be top dogs this upcoming season, and the competition for captain was really coming down to just her and Santana, but given their past history and competition between the girls, they would do whatever it took to stay on top. Somehow they were still able to remain friends after all was said and done, and while they were not as catty towards one another as they were in high school over the captain position, the friendly competition between the two had Santana going into overdrive to make sure she was on top during college.

She also had a fairly rigorous academic schedule this semester. She took a bit of a lighter load during the first semester given the fact that it was her first semester of college and she would be traveling with the teams quite a bit to cheer, so she didn't want to over extend herself and get poor grades if she had too much on her plate. In order to compensate for the lesser hours first semester, she practically doubled up second semester, taking seven classes to keep her on track to graduate in four years with the requisite hours needed.

Quinn had been conflicted for a while as to what she wanted to do when she graduated college. Her parents always wanted her to find a job where she could meet a good guy, settle down and become a homemaker, and while there was nothing wrong with that, she knew that was not the lifestyle she wanted for herself. She had been mulling it over in her head, trying to decide if she wanted to go into accounting or if she wanted to major in something that would help her get into law school. Santana had expressed a desire to go into law and while the feisty Latina would probably be one hell of an intimidating lawyer, Quinn thought she was better suited for the cut-throat world of business or something. But who knows, maybe Scary Santana could kick some serious ass in the world of litigation. Quinn knew how determined and motivated she was when she set her mind to it, so Santana could probably go on to do anything she could possibly think up…except maybe teach small children. Scary Elementary School Teacher Santana probably wouldn't work out well.

Quinn had decided to major in Economics and Finance while minoring in Political Science, just in case she needed some sort of PoliSci course to help her figure out if law school would be something she wanted to pursue in the future. Therefore, due to her decision to pursue both a major and a minor, she needed to take 18 credit hours in the spring, the maximum hours allowed, in order to stay on top of things. So far, she was a straight A student and she refused to let her grades slip if she could help it.

As the semester began winding down, Quinn figured she should probably start figuring out what she was going to do that summer. She needed a job and even though she was getting a scholarship for cheer, she needed the extra cash for spending money or in the instance she could get a good deal on a flight out to see Puck or meet up with him in NYC if at all possible. Even though they had not kept in touch as much as Quinn would have liked and the distance was frustrating the hell out of her, she still wanted to be able to go see him if he got time off. She loved him, and even though he pissed her off sometimes, she knew her schedule would be more flexible than his this upcoming summer and she hoped they could find some time to see one another.

Santana and Britt were staying in Columbus for the upcoming summer, mostly due to the fact they were able to stay in their apartment and they didn't feel like moving back to Lima for the three month break. Britt needed to take a few summer school classes to stay up on her grades and remain eligible to continue to receive her scholarship, while Santana had agreed to stick around and help out at all the summer cheer camps Ohio State was putting on. They both would probably find a secondary job lifeguarding or waiting tables or something, but for the time being, they were just happy the semester was almost over.

Quinn on the other hand, had been applying for internships and jobs everywhere she could think of to try and get a leg up on some of her other classmates and start to build her resume to include more than just a few community service functions and member of a collegiate cheerleading squad. She had heard back from a few places in Lima and Columbus who were interested in her, but she wasn't thrilled about staying in Ohio for the summer.

On the advice of Rachel, she went out on a limb and started applying and sending in her transcript and resume to places in New York City and surrounding areas in February to see if she could score something out there, but thus far she had not received too much interest in return. She was taking a risk in even applying and even though she was prepared to get a lot of rejection letters and calls, she figured she should give it one last shot and keep applying to places up there in order to be closer to Puck. If she was accepted, that would be great as she would get awesome experience and be much closer to her boyfriend. If not, that was a hurdle she would have to eventually face down the road.

Once March and most of April had flown by, Quinn was becoming more and more discouraged with her job search and her Puck situation. She had been praying she could score a job out there to be closer to him and hopefully, maybe make it work easier than it was now, but as the days passed by her prospects were looking more and more limited. That is, until one of the smaller finance firms in Brooklyn she had applied to finally called her back. Surprisingly, her mom knew one of the firm's partners from college and that was enough to get her foot in the door and get her a phone interview for one of the summer intern positions. She agreed and after a two hour phone interview, she was asked if she was offered the position.

Quinn was ecstatic but just for good measure she asked if she could have the day to think on it. They agreed and she promised she would call them back later that afternoon to let them know. She called up her mom to tell her the good news first when her mom reminded her that while she knew one of the partners at the firm, Quinn didn't really know anyone else there so it would be tough finding a place to stay for the time she was there that summer that wouldn't cost her an arm and a leg. Quinn knew she was right so she called up the few other people she knew in New York to see if they knew of anyone or if they had any room for her to stay.

She called Mercedes first, as she had lived with her before and knew they could tolerate one another long enough to possibly live together. Unfortunately, Mercedes and Kurt both got internships out in Los Angeles so they were moving out of their dorms and heading out of NYC until the next semester of school got underway in August. Tina and Mike's relationship was starting to get a little more serious as Quinn found out the two were moving into a loft style apartment with one another come May, so she didn't want to intrude on their new space, considering how tiny it probably was. Therefore she was left with one option.

She dialed Rachel's number to let her know of the good news and decided to try and be as nonchalant as she possibly could, asking her if she knew of anyone who was looking for a temporary roommate for the summer. Rachel was thrilled for Quinn that she got the internship and before Quinn could even ask if she knew of anyone, Rachel had practically insisted she live with her for the summer. The one caveat was that she had to help Rachel move into her new apartment a few blocks away from her campus apartment, but she told Quinn it would work out well considering she needed to move in May and was not expecting anyone else who needed a roommate to be looking for one until school started back up in August.

Quinn graciously accepted and hoped the two girls could get along and make it work for the entire summer. She didn't mind Rachel anymore as the two had become fairly amiable friends toward each other, but they only really had seen each other in small doses and this time they would be living together for a solid three month span of time. She just hoped neither of them wanted to kill the other by the time it was all over. Quinn told Rachel when to expect her to move up there and the two hung up after a good solid hour long conversation. Quinn called the firm back and accepted their offer, informing them of when her semester was scheduled to end and when they could expect her.

_This might not turn out to be a bad thing after all_, though Quinn as she went to dial Puck's number to let him know the good news. After several rings she heard his familiar voice, but not the live version she was hoping for. "It's Puck. You know what to do," followed by a beep. _Typical,_ Quinn thought to herself as she proceeded to leave a message letting him know of the good news. Who knows if or when he would call her back but she was hoping he was as excited about the prospect of her living 7 hours closer for the summer as she was. She was taking a chance by leaving Ohio and moving to NYC really just to be closer to Puck. If this didn't help strengthen their relationship and get them back on track, Quinn wasn't sure how much more she could take.

* * *

><p>The evaluation and analysis phase of their training had taken just over a month and a half and at the end the 24 men were separated into smaller 6 man units depending on their strengths in certain areas. While every guy on each team knew how to do each other's jobs, each member of the team brought different qualities and leadership abilities to their group. They were also informed that, more than likely, these would be their group units for an indefinite amount of time.<p>

Puck was evaluated as having key strengths in combat arms and close quarter combat, which was not surprising given his track record in the past and his penchant for starting (and finishing) quite a few fights in high school. What was surprising is that he was not evaluated too highly for his aptitude in artillery and ordinance. He was a crack shot and had unbelievable accuracy with smaller weapons and he liked blowing things up but apparently his accuracy with the bigger weapons left something to be desired.

In a cosmic twist of fate, the artillery and ordinance specialist assigned to his team happened to be none other than Finn Hudson himself. Finn had managed to earn the maximum number of points during the artillery evaluation and had shown he had the patience, skill and thoroughness to be a hell of an "ordinance man". Puck was shocked he and Finn were assigned to the same team, given the number of people in the group they were training with, but he was absolutely floored when Finn had earned the designation from the commanding officers. Finn couldn't help make a crack at Puck, earning him the middle finger when he told Puck he could "officially blow shit up better" than Puck could.

The unit medic was man by the name of Carlos Vargas. Sergeant Vargas was from Tucson, Arizona while he was shorter and stockier in stature than the rest of the men in the unit, his agility, speed and sheer level of intelligence astounded most of the men in the unit. On one rare afternoon off, Puck and Finn sat with the man watching Jeopardy! on TV, in awe that he was able to correctly answer almost every question Alex Trebek asked the contestants on the show.

The sniper assigned to his team was First Sergeant named Chad Huntington. "Hunt," as everyone referred to him, was a Denver, Colorado native. He had grown up spending quite a bit of time in the mountains there, snowboarding and hiking, so he was probably more familiar with mountainous terrain than anyone else on the team. Ironically enough, he had also been a big hunter when he was younger thus giving him an edge when it came to earning his sniper tab and fueling the debate over whether he got his nickname from his hobby or if it was just a shortening of his last name. He would always roll his eyes anytime anyone asked, telling them it was probably a mixture of both.

The commanding officer assigned to his team was a man named Ryan Parker. Lieutenant Parker was originally from California and had gone through ROTC at his college before going off to Airborne and Ranger school, later being reassigned to the 10th Mountain Division. As one of the few officers reassigned to the Division, he would automatically assume a higher leadership position on the team and thus be in charge of the planning and execution of most of their missions.

And finally, to round out the rest of his team, Specialist Daniel Miller, aka Tex, was assigned to be their "compass man". He finished top of their division in the orienteering and logistics evaluations and would be responsible for maintaining direction and course whenever they were to go on maneuvers or missions. He would also get the great pleasure of carrying their communication equipment as he needed to be able to communicate with their sniper, Hunt. Puck was thrilled that his best friend was on the same team as he was and even more excited when he found out Tex had been assigned the same, but he was ultimately relieved that the rest of their team members seemed to be pretty cool guys as well. He was nervous he would get the neurotic CO he had worked with a few times during training, but he didn't and overall it was a good group of guys and Puck couldn't ask for more. He trusted all of these guys already and he could tell they would all get along well.

Once they were all in their respective team units, they went to work. They were all assigned duties and jobs on post. They would patrol various areas of the base as well as assist in any other way they were ordered to do so, but most of their time was spent continuously training or going out on maneuvers, all essential to always being prepared and ready to do their jobs and fight if they were to deploy or be called out for some type of mission needing their skills. They had to be ready for any type of circumstance possible in that instance where they may be deployed at a moment's notice so keeping up on their skills took practice, much like an athlete would practice their sport continuously to stay in tip top shape and ready for anything.

x-x-x-x-x-x

While Puck was enjoying his job and liked what he did, he couldn't help but feel something else wasn't right in his life. He felt a continuous weight on him and he couldn't quite place the source of what was making him feel so uneasy lately. He enjoyed his job and loved playing G.I. Joe all the time, despite crazy odds his best friend was on his team and Finn was incredibly happy now that he was officially engaged, and Puck had the most beautiful girlfriend in the world so why did something not feel right in his life.

He hadn't seen Quinn in over two months since her Spring Break, and while he missed her he still talked to her quite a bit. Sure they hadn't been able to arrange a visit or a time to meet up over those months, but he had been busy, and while he was tired a lot of the times she called and maybe zoned out here and there, she sounded like she was pretty busy too. He felt kinda guilty that Finn had been able to sneak away for a day here or a weekend there, but Puck was trying to get ahead and earn his next rank quicker so he volunteered to stay on post more often but he knew Quinn wouldn't mind. It was necessary for his job and she understood what all it entailed and while they started arguing more lately than they had since she was pregnant and their communication could use some work, he was sure she was busy on the weekends too so it's not like they would have had too much time for a visit anyway. Maybe they could figure something out this summer when she wasn't so busy or something.

Upon arriving at his apartment on base after one of their training days, he saw he had a few missed calls on his phone. He picked it up and saw that four were from Quinn with another few messages to boot. He knew he missed quite a few calls as he was not allowed to carry his phone with him into the field, but even then he would typically only miss one or two from Quinn per day. He called her back and as it rang he started to get nervous, hoping everything was alright and there wasn't some emergency.

Quinn picked up the phone with a sleepy sounding "hello."

Puck didn't even waste time with pleasantries, instead launching into asking her a million questions, "What's going on Quinn? Is everything alright? Is there an emergency? There better be a frickin' emergency if you called me 4 times today."

"Excuse me?" Quinn asked, sounding annoyed. She was none-too-happy to hear the tone he was taking and the sarcasm in his voice. It was two in the morning and she had class the next day and was already pissed off that he was finally returning one of her calls, only to practically argue with her about calling too often.

"Where's the fire, Q? Seriously, 4 calls and 2 messages in one day?"

She was tired and angry and hurt and before she knew it, her emotions got the better of her and tears were rolling down her cheeks as she all but screamed at him for his behavior. "I only wanted to talk to my boyfriend if that's such a crime! The boyfriend that has practically been ignoring me for the past few months since we got back from break who will only make a few obligatory phone calls when you feel like it and aren't too busy to deal with your girlfriend for a few minutes every once in a while. Cuz it is such a chore you know…" she seethed, letting the sarcasm drip heavily from her voice.

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me. Me ignoring you? Sorry I've been busy lately, geesh."

"Yeah, and as for those messages, I was just letting you know I had some good news."

"Please don't tell me you're pregnant again?" He tried to joke but knew it was a mistake as soon as the words left his mouth.

"You know what, Puck? You are such an asshole. You know how touchy of a subject that is and you decide to exploit that to use as a joke during an argument." She sniffled a little before continuing, "And just so you know, no, I am not pregnant with another child that would be a mere inconvenience to you again. I was really quite excited to tell you that I found out earlier I got an internship in New York City over the summer and I already made plans with Rachel to live with her all pretty much in an effort to be closer to you and to maybe see you more since this distance thing is obviously not working too well."

The phone was silent for a few moments until Puck asked her "What internship?"

That question alone made her tears run harder down her face, her eyes burning with hurt and frustration. She had a feeling he hadn't been all that invested in a few of their longer conversations as he was probably tired from training, but she knew she mentioned her search for internships in NYC multiple times whenever they did talk over the past few months. Now instead of her feeling as though he wasn't all that into it sometimes, she knew he was tuning her out completely when they talked, not listening to a word she was saying.

"And to make matters so much better, after talking with Rachel lately I know that Finn has been able to sneak away a few times over the past few months to visit her in the city and I know she went up there one weekend to see him. What really hurts is the fact that you never once mentioned me coming out there to visit you or even attempting to make an effort to try and coordinate our schedules to see each other, even if it would be for one day. I have mentioned it a few times to you, and it's just frustrating that it seems like you are barely making an effort here, and after all we have been through and talked about over winter and spring break, I figured we –"

Before she could finish, Puck abruptly cut her off, interjecting his own thoughts, "Oh I'm the one not making the effort here, huh? It's always my fucking fault, isn't it Quinn? Honestly, you really haven't been making much of an effort lately either and it pisses me off you expect me to drop everything and function on your timetable. Talk to you on your schedule, when it works best for you." He was getting upset this was all turning around back on him and was a little ticked off that she was, once again, comparing him to Saint Finn. "Seriously Quinn, you have no idea how crazy our schedules are. Until you join the military, you will never know for yourself. Oh, and Finn has to go visit Rachel whenever he can since they are engaged now, and he has no balls left anymore. Rachel keeps them on a pretty tight leash. It's not like we're getting engaged or married anytime soon, so get off my fucking back already."

He heard her gasp on the other end of the line before she let out a quiet sob, and while his head and his heart knew he should stop there and apologize his emotions got the better of him and he continued, "You know, I do have a real job here. One that I have to take seriously or somebody could die because I did something stupid. It's not like I'm just fucking around at college, sitting in boring lectures and partying all the time. I'm just getting sick of you calling me and nagging me about stuff when I am doing the best I can, dammit."

Quinn pulled the phone back from her ear and stared at it in shock. She hadn't been able to find her voice to say anything while he ranted along and she honestly couldn't believe he was talking to her like that. She heard him call out her name once and took a deep breath, trying to steady her breathing but it was almost hopeless at this point. In a quiet, tearful and shaky voice she replied, "I am a 4.0 student Puck, so I'm not just 'fucking around and going to parties' as you referred to it. And I am trying. I try calling you to see how your day is, even if our conversation is less than five minutes long. I email you because I think it may be less intrusive, and you can respond back whenever but you never really do. I am even considering moving to New York and living with Rachel Berry of all people, just to be closer to you and make it easier for us to see each other. So yes Puck, I am trying and I am making an effort."

She drew in another breath and stared at the ceiling, before gaining the strength to finish her last thought, small sobs lacing with her words, "But really, if that's how you honestly feel about this, about us, I'm not sure if I can do this anymore," her last few words coming out barely above a whisper.

That was enough to snap Puck out of his anger-ridden stupor, "Wait, what? Q, what are you saying?"

Quinn closes her eyes, trying to bat away the tears as she says the most difficult words to Puck she has uttered since she told him she was pregnant, "I can't be with you anymore. Not like this. It hurts too much and I just can't keep doing this."

"No Quinn, wait. Please –"

"It's over, Puck." She whispers as she pulls the phone away from her ear.

Puck pleads with her, telling her to wait and that they can work it out but it all falls on deaf ears as soon as he heard the unmistakable click of the phone being disconnected. He pulls the phone away from his head and stares at it, shocked and stunned at what just happened. Where the hell did all of that anger on his part come from? Did he seriously just say all of that? Did she…did she truly just tell him it was over? He tries to call her back a few times, but it goes straight to voicemail, a sign she turned her phone off. He is still too stunned to even find the words to leave a message so he hangs up. He feels his head start to spin and his chest begins to ache as he can already feel the pain seeping into his body. His throat is suddenly dry and it feels like he can't breathe so he leans over the sink to take a long drink of water. When that does no good, he staggers into his room, falling back on his bed and covering his face with his hands. _What the hell just happened_, he thinks as he kicks off his boots. He tells himself to wait it out and call her in the morning to apologize, but the pain and hurt he heard in her voice was something he had never experienced. He closed his eyes and tried to catch some sleep, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get her voice out of his mind.

x-x-x-x-x-x

After she hung up the phone, Quinn cant contain it anymore and the floodgates open wide up. She lays down, clutches the stuffed lamb he won for her at the fair before he left for boot camp and is sobbing so hard, she never noticed Santana and Britt standing in her doorway, watching her world crash down around her.

She feels a pair of warm arms embrace her from behind while the bed in front of her dips with another weight. A soft voice breaks the quiet, "What happened, Q?" Brittney asks.

"I – I think – Puck and I just broke up. It's done." Quinn whimpers between sobs.

Britt sniffles a bit before clutching her in a tighter hug, "We love you, Quinn. Puck is an idiot."

"I'm gonna fucking kill him." She looked up to see Santana looking back down at her. Santana felt tears pricking her own eyes as she looks down at Quinn, convinced she is watching her best friend's heart break right in front of her. She leans down and brushes a stray hair out of Quinn's face before placing a small kiss on her forehead. "Sweetie, I'm not going to tell you it's all going to be ok because that's not what you want to hear right now. Just breathe, Quinn. Just breathe. We're not going anywhere."

Quinn knows they would probably rather be enjoying each other alone and that they don't have to be there consoling her at 3am but they are, and she loves her friends for that. They don't ask any more questions or tell her everything is going to be alright. They don't push her for any more information or bring up anything else the rest of the night. They just lay there with her and hold her, letting her sob until she cries herself to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **_Thanks again for all of your support! You guys are awesome and thanks for continuing to follow my story! I realize this chapter is a bit fluffy, but the story will pick up here in a chapter or two. I promise. _

**Chapter 13**

After her and Puck's break-up, Quinn threw herself headfirst into school. She had spent a few days wallowing in her room, staring at his picture and wanting to call him up and take it all back but she would then remember why they broke up in the first place. The semester was almost over and she got lucky with how well she did on her first semester finals, considering what an emotional wreck she was over Puck's reaction to seeing her during the party with Taylor. They were able to bounce back from that fight just fine, but she wasn't so sure about this fight so she decided to focus her attention elsewhere.

It's not like she didn't love Puck anymore. Quite the opposite, actually. She loves him with all of her heart and would love if things were different between the two of them. If the distance was shorter. If both of them could make the effort to be with one another. If they were even on the same page in their relationship anymore. She loves him so much and her heart aches now that he is no longer hers, but she knows the ache of his neglect and separation and feels that is maybe worse than the heartache that comes with missing him.

After holing herself up in her room for several days on end, Santana and Britt decided they needed to do something to pull Quinn out of her funk. While Quinn initially refused to go to any social function whatsoever, she relented when Santana dove onto her bed and sat on her, forcing her to get up while Britt drug her into the bathroom and forced her to shower and get ready.

They ended up going to a party later that night and Quinn ended up drinking far too much trying to dull the pain she felt. Although she knows alcohol doesn't solve anything, it merely adds to the stress and depression, she continues drinking throughout the night. She's already in a bad mood when she gets there, so a few drinks is all it takes to turn her into "Angry Girl Drunk", yelling at random other freshmen girls and trying to pick a fight with Santana all within a span of an hour.

San knows she's hurting but Quinn gets a little out of line, especially after the blonde went off taking cheap shots at the Latina for no good reason. Santana was a little more than perturbed and wound up telling Quinn to fuck off before pulling out her phone and texting Taylor, telling him to get to this party ASAP so he could maybe take care of this situation before Santana really blew a gasket and wound up smacking her first.

Taylor told her he was on his way and had the screeching blonde up over his shoulder and leaving the party less than 10 minutes later. Quinn continued to yell and pound on Taylor's back and ass, threatening to castrate him if he didn't set her down immediately. He practically tossed her into the front seat of the car, buckling her in and taking her back to her apartment.

As soon as Taylor got her inside, she sat on the couch silently staring at her hands for a long while. Taylor asked her what was wrong and why she was acting the way she was. Already emotional due to the excess of alcohol in her system, she started to spill, telling him all about her and Puck's spring break and the several months thereafter when he hardly returned a phone call and finally about the break-up. She began sobbing as she detailed why she felt she had to break it off and how foolish she felt putting so much time and effort into trying to make it work when he didn't feel the same way. She told him all about her internship and how she felt like she was trying so hard for nothing.

Taylor just sat there and let Quinn cry on his shoulder. He told her that everything happens for a reason, and even brought a little religion into the discussion as well, telling her God has a plan for everything and it will work out like it is supposed to in the end. He told her about the impression he got of Puck the first time he formally met the guy and how he could tell just by seeing the way Puck looked at her and acted around her that there was no way he could just stop loving her and not want to try anymore after all they had been through. He told her Puck was probably just wrapped up in his own world right now but he would come around eventually, and if he didn't, it was definitely his loss. Taylor capped it all off by telling her that if he was straight and they were together, he would never let a girl like her go.

He kissed her softly on the top of her head before helping her up and taking her into her room, tucking her in beneath the covers. He grabbed a glass of water and a few aspirin for her out of her bathroom and left them on her nightstand before showing himself out.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Despite the raging hangover Quinn had the next morning, she forced herself to get up and go to the library, immersing herself in her studies for the remainder of the weekend. The short periods of time she was at home were reserved for eating and sleeping, neither of which came easily with how stressed she was trying to finish up papers and study for her exams.

She did take a break Sunday afternoon to bake some cookies as an apology to Santana and Britt for the way she acted at the party. Britt was just thrilled she made cookies and completely forgot about the reason Quinn baked them in the first place. Santana, on the other hand, was a little more reluctant to make peace considering some of the nasty things Quinn said to her at the party. Quinn told her she knew her behavior was inexcusable and that she was truly sorry for the way she acted and what she ended up saying.

While she could totally be a bitch sometimes, Santana did actually have a heart and felt somewhat responsible for dragging Quinn out to that party and helping her get as trashed as she did. She wound up apologizing too and the two girls spent some quality time one night dissecting where Quinn and Puck's relationship had gone wrong. Santana came to the conclusion Puck was just being an idiot and was even more infuriated with the way he blew up at Quinn on the phone for no reason, threatening to drive to New York herself and kick his ass. While the offer was tempting, the wound was still new and Quinn couldn't really think of anything to do to get her mind off of it besides study.

* * *

><p>After a full week of exams and studying every night non-stop, Quinn was finally finished with her semester. She packed up the items she knew she would need for the summer and headed out. She stopped in Lima to see her mother for a few days before heading out towards New York for her internship.<p>

While the internship in NYC had initially started out as a way to be closer to Puck, Quinn knew it was a hell of an opportunity and would very good on her resume in the future. Plus, she had already accepted the job and Rachel was expecting her so it would be rude to back out rather abruptly now. She tries to focus on the positives about being in the city the whole summer and experiencing something new, but she would be lying to herself if she wasn't a bit apprehensive about the whole arrangement.

Rachel had graciously offered her a place to stay and it would be fun but she's not sure how the living situation would really be, especially if she had to watch Rachel and Finn be all cute together over the summer. Quinn knew Puck and Finn were friends and he had probably told him all about the break-up so the summer had the potential to be extremely awkward.

Quinn made the trek all the way to New York and found her way to Rachel's new apartment. The girls hugged and chatted a bit before they unloaded Quinn's stuff. They grabbed a bite to eat and chatted until the dreaded topic of Puck came up. Rachel simply asked Quinn how he was doing and despite the hours she spent avoiding thinking about him, her lip began to quiver and she had to excuse herself to the bathroom quickly and collect herself before the floodgates opened back up.

Rachel knocked on the door and refused to leave until Quinn came out and explained what was going on. Quinn relented and sat down with her friend the same way she did with Santana, only really telling her the smaller, condensed version about the fight and subsequent break-up. If Quinn thought Santana was scary when she was angry, she had obviously never seen Rachel upset. Rachel was not just upset, she was downright pissed at Puck, standing up and storming around the room calling him every profane name in the book while turning a bright shade of scarlet as she fumed.

Rachel grabbed her phone, dialing Finn's number before Quinn could grab it away from her, telling her she would handle it in her own time. Rachel seemed to calm down a bit but was still pretty mad. The girls sat there talking about boys and Quinn found it oddly comforting to talk to Rachel about these things and get her perspective on what she had heard from Finn and such. Sure, Santana would always be the one she vented to about things but with Finn and Puck's Army careers, it was nice to talk to someone in the same position as she was.

Quinn and Puck had broken up a little over three weeks ago and Rachel was more shocked that Finn hadn't said anything to her at any point during that period of time. She knew it was Quinn and Puck's problem but she didn't like the feeling that Finn was hiding something from her. She was also slightly concerned that Quinn hadn't really exhibited any emotion when they talked about the break-up, keeping herself cool and collected despite her quick trip to the restroom to collect herself. Rachel would have been hysterical if she and Finn broke up, especially given their history together, but Puck and Quinn's relationship history had been a bit more storied and dramatic. They had a past that stemmed from way before Finn and Rachel had even gotten together, and while Quinn acted like she was fine, only saying she was tired when Rachel asked her if everything was ok after their initial conversation about the break-up, Rachel knew she wasn't ok at all. She could see the sadness in Quinn's eyes and while the blonde put on a good front and tried to steel herself off from the outside world and conceal her emotions like she used to do in high school, Rachel knew there was a whole plethora of emotions brewing beneath the surface.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Finn ended up visiting a few days after Quinn arrived in town, and while Quinn was polite enough, she tended to make herself scarce when the two of them were around. She had already started her job and spent quite a bit of time at the office and she claimed she was swamped when Finn asked her if she wanted to hang out with them only to leave again or lock herself in her room to 'work from home'. After the first day Finn was there, it was painfully obvious Quinn was avoiding seeing the couple.

Rachel could sympathize for the girl, understanding that she may not want to see Finn right now as he was Puck's best friend, or even that she didn't want to be around the couple as it would be a reminder of what she no longer had, but Finn was as perplexed as ever. After watching Quinn slump out of her room and into the kitchen for some cereal only to say "hey" to them in passing before locking herself in her room again, Finn asked Rachel what was going on.

She looked at him and asked him if he knew about Quinn & Puck's break-up, telling him she wanted to wait until she saw him in person to ask about it, just so she could gauge his reaction. At first Finn looked shocked when Rachel confronted him about it. He insisted Puck hadn't said anything, but after thinking about it for a bit, Finn admitted he knew something was up with the way Puck had been acting lately. Rachel wanted to know what he meant by that, seeing as how he often took solace in the arms of another girl or two when he and Quinn broke up for the first time in high school. She loved Finn and Puck was her friend, but even though her and Quinn had their history and still weren't exactly best friends, she definitely was on Quinn's team when it came to this debacle.

Finn explained how moody and somber Puck had been lately, grunting out answers when people asked him questions and going straight to his room as soon as they got home for the night, not wanting to talk to anyone after their days were done. Rachel told him Quinn was the same, barely coming out of her room or socializing once she got home from work. Finn thought Quinn seemed fine when he had briefly seen her earlier but Quinn had a tendency to close up whenever her emotions were all over the place so it made sense that she was just putting on a front. They knew both of their friends were hurting and while they knew they shouldn't get involved, Quinn and Puck were both so damn stubborn they may need a slight kick in the ass to get themselves out of their rut.

After Finn leaves to go back up to the base the following evening, Rachel walks by Quinn's closed door when she hears a muffled noise coming from inside. Rachel knocks once and doesn't get an answer. She knocks again, gently pushing Quinn's door open to see if everything is alright. Quinn is huddled in a ball clutching her stuffed lamb to her chest and staring at a picture on her nightstand, sobbing into her pillow.

Rachel calls her name again softly as she approaches the bed and looks over at the nightstand, examining the picture Quinn refuses to look away from. It was a photo of Quinn and Puck holding each other and kissing on the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty from Spring Break, when the rest of their friends met up in NYC after Rachel and Finn got engaged. Rachel doesn't know exactly what to say. She is stunned to see Quinn break down like this, having never really seen the girl lose her composure like this before.

She reaches her hand out and begins to rub soothing circles on Quinn's back while she lets the girl cry. After a few minutes, she looks down and decides to test the waters, "Quinn, do you wanna talk?"

Quinn swallows hard before answering, "I just want to know when this will stop hurting so badly…when this hole in my chest will go away."

Rachel's eyes start to water as she hears the pain evident in her friend's voice as she speaks. "Hon, I'm sorry I don't have an answer for you. It's only been three weeks and you need time to heal. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but things will get better. It'll get easier eventually."

"When? Because I don't think I can last much longer feeling this way. I feel like I have to tell myself to keep breathing, only to keep from dying." Quinn sobs, "I shouldn't have said the things I did to him. I shouldn't have blamed it on him. It's my fault. I just needed to try harder."

"Quinn, from what I've heard you have no reason to blame yourself. You did try. You put yourself out there and he responded poorly. If anything, that boy needs to get on his knees and grovel for your forgiveness." Rachel smoothes a wayward curl out of Quinn's face before continuing, "Just keep breathing and tell yourself that tomorrow is a new day."

Quinn nods slightly, still clutching the lamb. Rachel looks down at her friend and hugs her, "I want you to know I'm here for you. If you need anything or just want to vent, I will always be here for you." Quinn mutters a small thank you and closes her eyes, hoping sleep comes quickly. Rachel stays with her until her breathing levels out and she knows her friend is asleep before quietly exiting her room.

* * *

><p>Puck knews he fucked up big time by lashing out at her on the phone. The second she hung up on him he knew he had screwed up. He realizes that she was upset and he was doing nothing to really make an effort in his relationship. He had gotten so caught up in his own world and training, trying to get ahead and earn a promotion faster that he had screwed up the one really good thing he had going for him right now.<p>

He figured she was tired and hurt when she broke it off, since he did call her back at 2am, so he figured he would initially let her sleep it off and tried calling back in the morning. Only instead of getting a hold of her and apologizing, he got her answering machine. He didn't know what to say and knew he could mess things up further if he said something that came across wrong over a message so he didn't leave one, opting to wait a bit and calling her back later. However, it was the same story over and over. She never answered and he knew she was screening his calls, pushing the end button to cut his call off after one or two rings.

Over the next few weeks he felt more and more miserable about it all. He knows Finn went to visit Rachel right after Quinn moved in so he asks him how she is and what she's been up to. At first Finn doesn't want to tell him, just ho-humming about how she works a lot and he didn't get to see her all that much. When Finn saw Puck's face fall and recognized the defeat in his expression at hearing that info, he goes ahead and lets Puck have it. He tells him about how Quinn avoided him the whole weekend and when he did see her, she looked like hell. He also told Puck that Rachel has called a few times, asking how Puck was doing and telling him that Quinn is an absolute mess, working long hours then coming home and going straight to bed, and that Rachel and now Finn are starting to worry about her a bit.

Puck tries calling Quinn every day, twice a day, only to hear a few rings then her answering machine. If he was honest with himself, he would know that he was just calling to hear her voice asking the caller to leave a message, but to him that is better than nothing.

He forces himself to go to the gym and try to work out all of his frustrations with himself while hitting the punching bag or doing a serious weight lifting regimen, even if he is already exhausted after training all day, but nothing seems to work. He tries to stay on task and focus on his job but his performance during training runs has started slipping as well as his focus just isn't there anymore. He is thinking about her too much and wondering how she's doing and it has really started affecting his job now too.

After a particularly poor training session, the rest of the guys on his team corner him in the briefing room, sitting him down and asking him what the hell is going on. He used to be the rock of the team and one of the most reliable guys out there but he is screwing up little things left and right and executive officers are about to hammer their asses to the wall if they cant pick it up.

Finn was about to tell him that he knows Puck is upset about the situation with Quinn but he needs to pull his head out of his ass when Tex beats him to it, ripping into Puck for letting his personal life affect their mission. Their CO, Lt. Parker, agreed with Tex, telling him he knew Puck was going through a rough time but the missions were simulated as to assure mission success and that everyone came home in one piece and having Puck screwing up here and there was hugely detrimental to the rest of the unit.

Puck agreed with them and accepted what they were saying; nodding his head in agreement and telling them he promised it wouldn't happen again. While most of the men on his team left the briefing room, Finn and Tex stayed behind to have a mini-intervention with Puck. Puck told them he already promised to turn his shit around and get it together so they were wasting their time. They both merely shrugged it off and sat down next to him, telling him to start talking because it was obvious he needed to get something off his chest.

Puck explained the situation to the other men and once he was finished, both Finn and Tex took turns giving him their perspective. Tex told him he had taken Quinn for granted, thinking she would always be there when he needed her but not having to make an effort to show her he valued her presence in his life. Finn agreed with Tex and told him that they were both miserable and that was actually kind of a good thing. It shows they cared enough about the other to feel truly hurt by the other's words and actions.

Finn then asked him the one question he never thought he would hear come out of his friend's mouth: "Do you still love Quinn and want her in your life?" Puck was shocked he even had the balls to ask that, answering indignantly in the affirmative. Tex then chimed in, telling him he needed to do something big as a way to say he was sorry and to show her just how much he cared. Puck felt terrible and had said some things he didn't mean and now she wouldn't even listen to an apology, so it was time to bring out the big guns and figure out how he could show her how much she did mean to him.

The men jumped into strategy-mode, brainstorming ways in which to apologize and get Quinn to take Puck back. Since Quinn was living in the city now and working at an internship Puck knew she took just to be closer to him, it had to be in person. They threw around some ideas until a light bulb went off in Puck's head and he thought it just may be the perfect plan. The boys started to make arrangements, helping Puck out with the small details of his plan before he would head to the city to see her that upcoming weekend.

He knew what he was going to do and hopefully the words he needed to say to express how sorry he was and how he felt about her wouldn't get too jumbled up, but he needed to tell her how much she meant to her and how much he needed her. They both needed to communicate better and he needed to make more of an effort but he was willing to do just about anything at this point to make it work. They had to make this work.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After impatiently waiting for the weekend to arrive, he jumped in his truck the second his shift ended and drove straight through to New York City. He had gotten out of work a bit later than he anticipated and it would put him in to the city later than he originally hoped for but he was hell-bent on seeing her and hopefully patching everything up that he didn't care what time it was.

Finn had told Rachel ahead of time to expect Puck visiting this weekend and while she wasn't spectacularly thrilled about it, she knew he meant well. Quinn had mentioned a few people at work inviting her out for dinner, and while Rachel knew Puck was coming, she thought it was progress that Quinn was feeling a bit more social so she urged her to go. If Puck got there before Quinn returned then he could just wait.

Once Quinn returned from dinner, she went back to being her old somber self, going straight into her room and getting ready for bed. Puck had yet to show up and Rachel was beginning to think he flaked out, but around 11pm she heard a knock on the door. She looked out the peep-hole to see Puck standing there in his fatigues, clutching what appeared to be a few bags.

Rachel pulls open the door and greets him with a less than friendly sneer. "Noah. Can I help you?"

"Hey Rach, is Quinn home? I really need to talk to her."

"I don't know if I should slap you for her or if I should actually let you in. While Finn has told me about your plans, I'm not sure I like the idea of you walking in here and attempting to make nice after all that has happened."

"Look Berry," Puck started, staring pointedly at the small brunette, "I have been fucking miserable too, alright? I miss her and I love her and I am here to make things right. I can't do that if you keep running interference on me tonight. Finn called you and told you the plan and all I'm asking for is a little bit of your help, ok? If Quinn doesn't want to see me and my plan doesn't work, I will let you kick me out on my ass. But please, at least let me try to talk to her."

Rachel looked slightly annoyed, but she remembered that he and Quinn went out of their way to help Finn plan their engagement surprise and she knew Puck had good intentions about getting back together with Quinn so she let out a huff of air and opened the door wider to let him through. "Her room is down the hall, to the left," she said as she pointed him in the direction of Quinn's room.

Puck walked in and thanked her, setting his duffle bag down by the couch. He pulled his guitar out of its case and made his way down the hall toward Quinn's door. He takes a deep breath before knocking gently. He doesn't get a response so he quietly turns the knob and walks in. Quinn is curled up next to a pillow and Puck found himself staring at the blonde silently sleeping in front of him. He could be perfectly content just standing here watching her sleep, but he's on a mission so he steps closer to her and gently nudges her awake.

Quinn sighs sleepily and looks up at him, quickly blinking back the sleep and sitting up abruptly at the sight in front of her. "What – What the hell are you doing here?"

Puck smiles softly at her before sitting down on the bed next to her, "I missed you and I came to say I am so sorry for everything I said to you. I took you for granted and I didn't mean any the words and frustration that came out of my mouth that night."

Quinn looked down at the comforter before softly replying, "Yeah, but you said them, so somewhere in your mind you must have been thinking those thoughts at some point."

Puck looks at her and takes her hand, "No, I didn't, that's the thing. I never thought those things. Yeah, shit's been crazy and we've been busy but that is no reason for me to ignore you or to make you feel this way. I got defensive and said all those things in retaliation. I should have tried to make things work better and you were right, I have no excuse for not trying to work around my schedule to see you. I'm an asshole sometimes, you know that. But that doesn't excuse my behavior."

Quinn looked up at him warily before glancing down at the guitar in his arms. "You know, it's a cheap shot to bring the guitar and think everything will be better once you play. It's worked in the past but I can't keep running back to you as soon as you finish the song."

"I know that, and I don't expect you to. I'm not very good at expressing how I feel using my own words, and while I know its cheating to steal someone else's words, I spent days trying to find the right things to say to you to tell you how much you mean to me. This one song in particular kept popping into my head so I figured I would give it a shot."

Quinn just clenched her hands together and stared at the comforter before nodding her head, signaling to him that he could start whenever. Puck gently began to strum the strings and Quinn's eyes began to water immediately, knowing exactly which song he had decided to play since it was one of her all time favorites.

Puck remembered the song was one of Quinn's favorites. She mentioned it once when they were watching an old re-run of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ late one night over Christmas vacation and he caught her softly singing the tune a few times since then. After digging a little further to find the correct guitar tabs and lyrics, he was shocked to find out that the original version was written and performed by none other than the Rolling Stones. After listening to it several more times to get it all down, hecouldn't help but fall in love with the song and its meaning and felt it was perfect for the way he felt about her. He looked at her and caught her eye before he began singing.

_Childhood living is easy to do  
>The things that you wanted I bought them for you<br>Graceless lady, you know who I am,  
>You know I can't let you just slide through my hand<em>

_Wild horses couldn't drag me away  
>Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away...<em>

_I watched you suffer a dull aching pain  
>Now you decided to show me the same<br>No sweeping exits or offstage lines  
>Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind<br>_

_Wild horses couldn't drag me away  
>Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away <em>

As he strums away at the solo in between the chorus and hums the tune to himself, Quinn can't tear her eyes off of the man in front of her, mesmerized by his voice and the emotion shining through his eyes. She feels a tear roll down her cheek but just lets it fall.

He watches her absorb the song and smiles softly at her, wanting so badly to brush away her tears and kiss her right then and there but he doesn't want to ruin the moment by stopping the song, so he plays on.

_I know I've dreamed you, a sin and a lie  
>I have my freedom but I don't have much time<br>Faith has been broken, tears must be cried  
>Let's do some living, after we die<br>_

_Wild horses couldn't drag me away  
>Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them some day<br>Wild horses couldn't drag me away  
>Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them some day<em>

He strums the final few chords, never taking his eyes off of her. He wants her to know he means every word of the song and that the only person who matters right now is the girl right in front of him. He gently sets his guitar down before wiping a few stray tears away from her face. He wants to kiss her so badly but knows he may be jumping the gun a little and wants to make sure he doesn't ruin anything by acting too quickly and impulsively.

He takes both of her hands in his and strokes the backs with his thumbs. "Quinn, I love you more than anything, and I was an idiot take your love and your faith in me for granted. I did it once in high school and hurt you pretty bad and I have spent years kicking myself for letting you slip away the first time. What's even worse is that I repeated the same damn mistake and let you slip away again. I'll be honest with you, I have been absolutely miserable without you in my life. You're my sunshine and I regret ever letting any of those words leave my mouth that night."

Quinn stares at their intertwined hands before speaking up, "Can I ask you a question, Puck? And will you promise to be honest with me?"

"Of course, anything."

"I appreciate you apologizing to me and I know I owe you an apology for my behavior as well. I should have been more patient with you and asked you why this wasn't working like an adult instead of jumping all over you like that."

"No, Q really, it was me. I –" Quinn cut him off, raising her hand and asking to let her finish.

"I just need to know, honestly, if you meant anything you said. I mean, I know I can be bitchy and I know I probably call and bug you a lot, but some of the stuff you said really did hurt. And I know you said a few times that you didn't mean any of it, but you said it. It's out there and I can't help but think that you had been thinking about what was going on between us and how you felt, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to articulate all your frustrations that easily. It almost sounded like you had practiced your response beforehand."

Puck shook his head vigorously in the negative, but before he could respond back she continued, her voice soft and weak "Is there someone else?"

Puck felt his heart sink a little. She was still skeptical of his intent and frankly, he knew she had every right to be wary of him at this point. "Oh, God no!" He replied. He cleared his throat and began to explain, "Honestly Q, it has been a little frustrating at times. My schedule sucks sometimes and while I know that's a shitty excuse, it's the truth. I can't be there to pick up the phone all the time and sometimes its easier to just come home and pass out on the couch or go to sleep when I come home exhausted after training. But there is most certainly nobody else. How could you think that?"

She glanced up into his eyes, hers sparkling with unshed tears, "I don't know. Just a conclusion I jumped to when I hadn't heard from you for long stretches of time."

Puck released one of her hands and caressed her cheek, looking her in the eyes before responding, "There is nobody else for me. It's only you, Q. I love you. And while the distance is frustrating and both of our schedules are crazy, I agree that I need to be better about returning your calls instead of hoping you'll understand. I won't take you for granted any more and I know I need to work harder on making us work. I haven't put in the effort I should and really, the distance shouldn't matter if you love someone as much as I love you. You are never an inconvenience to me, and while you may call at inconvenient times, I promise to work on calling you back as soon as I can."

She nodded her head and he brushed away another fallen tear before continuing, "I hated living without you junior and senior year. It was like there was a hole in my life that only you could fill. As soon as we got back together after graduation, my life felt more whole. More complete. Then we were apart again because of boot camp and training and we started to fall apart again. Although being apart from you for months at a time sucks, I know that I would rather see you for a few days here and there, or even a few hours if that is all I get as opposed to not being with you at all. I want this to work and I will do whatever it takes, as long as you're willing to put in the work and do it with me. Please say, honestly, you won't give up on me"

Quinn smiles up at him, "Of course I'm willing to work at this and I promise, I will never give up on you as long as you don't give up on me."

"I never did," Puck replies, returning her smile. "And the comment about the baby was a low blow. I have no idea why that came out of my mouth and I am truly sorry for trying to turn it into a joke. That wasn't ok at all."

"I know you didn't mean it, it was just rough hearing it out loud.," she sighed.

"I am so, so sorry. I want you to know that I love our little girl and I was honest with you in the hospital when I told you I loved you too. That moment, standing there with you looking at our daughter, was probably the single most defining moment of my life up until now. I would be more than happy to have another kid with you in the future. You know, when the time is right of course, but still."

"Thank you," she says softly, wiping the more fallen tears off of her cheeks before looking back into his eyes, "that means the world to me. I love you, Puck."

"I love you too, Quinn. Always will."

"Can we just promise one another we will be more honest with one another from here on out so we can avoid any more these blow-up fights?" she chided, chuckling lightly.

"Definitely. I hate it when you're upset, especially if I was the one who hurt you." He smiled before letting it turn into a smirk, "But I will say, you are pretty hot when you're mad."

"Excuse me?"

"You are super-hot when you're raging pissed at someone. I remember when you used to go on tirades about Coach Sylvester or Rachel and Finn. I could never take my eyes off of you, you were smoking hot."

She gently pushed him away, "You're crazy."

"Crazy about you," he teased, tickling her lightly. "I'm definitely not as crazy as you were in high school." When she glared at him and raised an eyebrow in warning, he promptly caught himself, "Crazy hot, that is."

"Oh, good save. You had just gotten yourself out of the dog house; it would have been a shame to have to put you back in there so quickly," she teased back.

"And I don't plan on going back anytime soon," he smiled. He ran his fingers through her hair and cupped her cheek, "Quinn, I love you so much and I am truly sorry."

She leaned forward, anticipating his kiss. "I love you too, Puck," she whispered before their lips connected in a heart-melting kiss. They hadn't seen or touched each other in over two months and had been broken up for almost a month of that, so they took their time, allowing their lips and tongues to savor the taste and feel of one another. It was slow, sensual and full of passion. It conveyed their apologies while promising the future to one another.

Once air became a necessity and they broke apart, Quinn clutched the front of Puck's uniform. "Now can you please take this off so we can get some sleep?"

Puck chuckled and started to unbutton his fatigues, "You're the boss."

"Yeah, and don't you forget that, Puckerman."

"Whatever you say, Fabray." Puck stripped down to his boxers and climbed in next to Quinn, pulling her close as she snuggled into his side, "This is your world, I'm just living in it."

She smiled and placed a small kiss on his chest before shifting against him, finding a comfortable position. Puck felt her breathing level off fairly quickly and knew she was out when he started to hear the soft snores coming from her mouth. He glanced down at her sleeping soundly against her and thought she was absolutely beautiful, even when she was snoring…and possibly drooling on his chest.

He felt bad for waking her earlier to talk. He knew she hadn't been sleeping well by the dark circles under her eyes and he knew he was barging in on her fairly late, but he had to get everything off his chest. He was glad the song worked and that they were able to get over their argument as quickly as they did. They had a tough road ahead of them and their schedules and obligations would be difficult to work out for them in the future, but simply hearing her say his name or holding Quinn in his arms made everything worth it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__Like I mentioned earlier, sorry for the fluffiness of this chapter, but the story will pick up here in the next few chapters. Truth be told, as I have mentioned to a few people via PM, this story is actually closely based on a true story. While I wish to keep the integrity of the story, for the sake of my readers, the next chapter will actually span a good amount of time to allow the story to progress without dragging it out too long._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:**_ Sorry this chapter is a little long… and sorry the last chapter was a little slow. Hopefully this one is better. :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

Days turned into weeks quicker than anyone could have anticipated. Quinn was really enjoying her job and still worked fairly long hours considering she was a 19 year old intern in the office. Yes, she made coffee, went and picked up dry cleaning, and made a crap-ton of copies each day for the partners but a letter of recommendation from these people could go a long way in the future. The positive was that she was able to sit in on meetings and did her best to absorb all the information she possibly could while she was there in case it would come in handy in the future.

The weekends were a completely different story. Puck and Quinn had been making serious efforts to see each other as often as possible, both making trips here and there to visit the other. In fact, they got to see each other pretty much every other weekend when the boys didn't have weekend guard or post duty.

A few weeks into the summer, Rachel found out she had managed to snag a decent role in an off-Broadway production of Rock of Ages, which in turn motivated Finn to come and visit more often. He would bring Puck along and they would all go see her show then spend whatever remaining time they had exploring the city before the boys would have to head back upstate and report back in before the weekends were over.

They went to a New York Yankees v. Boston Red Sox baseball game, paid their respects at the World Trade Center ground zero, hung out in Central Park, and even took in one of the most spectacular Fourth of July firework displays any of them had ever seen, taking hundreds of pictures and making new memories along the way.

On the weekends the boys couldn't get away from base for long enough to make the 5 hour round-trip, the girls would try to make it up there to visit them. The boys would have guard duty for half of the weekend, but when they did get half a day off here and there, they would explore upstate New York. They went on mini day hikes, visited Niagara Falls, hung out on the shores of Lake Ontario and even took the ferry across the river and into Canada, visiting Ottawa, Toronto and Montréal.

It was the first time all of them had actually been out of the country before, so it was exciting for them to be able to see the sights and mingle among Canadians instead of dealing with Americans, namely New Yorkers, for a little while. Don't get them wrong, they loved New York, but being from the Midwest, the foursome really enjoyed the slower pace and Midwestern-feel of Canada, even if it was only for a day at a time.

* * *

><p>In the middle of July, the boys unit was selected to participate in the all-US Military Special Forces Warfare Games held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. While their unit was technically considered a "Special Troops" division, the Army still distinguished them as a Special Forces unit, allowing them to participate with other Special Forces teams and units from all the branches of the military. Their unit was the only unit to be selected to attend from the 10th Mountain Division based on their performance scores and ability to execute all of their training missions flawlessly.<p>

The Special Forces Warfare Games ran for 10 days in which members of the Marine Corps Special Operations Division, Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Forces Unit, and Army Special Forces and Delta Force units went up against each other in what was playfully dubbed as the "Olympics of the Military." They competed in timed and scored events requiring them to do all sorts of activities such as firing long range weapons out of helicopters at targets on the ground, running simulated hostage rescue missions, obstacle course and trail run events, and even more specialized events that tested each operator's ability to perform their specialized task.

Their sniper, Hunt, managed to come in first in the distance event, knocking off targets with ease from distances of 500 yards, 1000 yards, 1500 yards and even nailed a shot from just over a mile away. It took him about an hour to set up the shot and he and a Navy SEAL sniper were tied at 1500 yards, but as soon as the SEAL missed his mark by mere inches, Hunt knew he had to make this count, especially since he wanted to represent his unit and the Army, securing bragging rights for the year if he nailed it.

He measured wind velocity and distance, balancing his rifle and setting the scope according to his calculations. He squeezed the trigger and watched through the scope as his round traveled close to 600 meters per second, nailing his target a little lower than he anticipated, but it was still a "confirmed kill" as opposed to the SEAL's round that was a few inches to the left of the target, possibly grazing the target but by no means getting the 'K'.

Finn took third in the ballistics and ordinance event. Their task was to swiftly and successfully plant and trigger a set of explosives, such as mines and plastic explosives, in various locations along an open road and were evaluated on the successfulness of the implementation and use of external mortar rounds to hit the targets once the drone trucks and cars drove into place. The Navy SEALs are all, by definition, explosives experts and won the event by a landslide. The Marine RECON and Special Operations team took second, with Finn and the 10th Mountain Division Special Troops coming in third.

Both Lt. Parker and Sgt. Vargas took part in the combat jump and rappelling events. These events required one participant to jump out of a plane and descend into the jump-zone area, detach their chute and "hump it", or hike quickly, to the rendezvous point where their time would be recorded and they would be evaluated on their stealth ability. In the rappelling event, a soldier, airman, Marine or frogman would have to quickly rappel from a moving chopper into a wooded area, where they would scout the region before 'humping it' through the mountainous region and finish at their rendezvous point, stopping their time as well.

Lt. Parker had been a member of the US Army Airborne for a lot longer than the rest of their team, so he took on the combat jump event. After a very successful jump and hike to the finish line, Parker managed to come in third as well, having been edged out by a member of the Army Delta Force by only a few seconds. The combat parachutist representing the Air Force absolutely blew the field out of the water figuratively speaking, beating the next closest time by several minutes.

Sgt. Vargas was smaller and quicker on his feet than some of the other men on his team so he took on the rappelling event. His size and speed helped a lot, but his training in the mountainous terrain around Ft. Drum gave him the definite advantage over many of the other teams, helping him secure a second place finish after the Air Force. While Parker and Vargas were happy that the Army, and namely their unit, was performing near the top of the field in every event, they and Finn were all disappointed they hadn't won their entire events.

Having been used to exceeding all expectations and leading the field all through training, the second and third place finishes stung a little. However, all the men tried to keep it in perspective, knowing that the SEALs excelled in explosives and demolition and that the Air Force had a Special Forces unit specifically for parachuting and rappelling into hostile areas for hostage rescue purposes.

Puck finished second in the combat arms and short range shooting events, barely losing out to a 15 year veteran in the Marine Corps. All of the participants hit their marks accurately and quickly, earning confirmed kills on each of their targets, but some of the shots were a few centimeters wide on a couple of the targets, not hitting directly in the center of the chest or head, earning the Navy SEALs third place, Army Delta Force fourth place and the Air Force fifth place overall. For being one of the youngest participants in the events, Puck definitely held his own, only being edged out by the Marine by a few millimeters in some instances. However, he was congratulated on his fine marksmanship and was given an 'Expert Marksman' ribbon for his abilities once the shoot was over.

The culmination of all the events was a team orienteering and logistics event, known as the "Warrior Run", in which all members of the team are dropped off at various locations, aka jump out of a helicopter at various drop zones, and are given only a compass and a map and have to make a 15 mile traverse through the woodlands to the rendezvous point designated by the commanding officers. Whichever team can best avoid detection by the roving officers in charge of the games and can finish with the best time wins the event.

As soon as the helicopter began its descent and the men were notified their drop zone was coming up, all six of the men glanced out of the door, looking back and smiling at one another when they saw the location of their DZ. It was in a small valley nestled between a mountainous region and they couldn't believe their luck. It was like the Army Gods smiled down on them as they were being dropped off in the particular terrain they happened to specialize in and train in day in and day out. If this was a beach or desert landing area, they would probably have some trouble, but in this event they knew their strengths and experience would give them the edge over the rest of the field.

After all six men were safely on the ground, they regrouped quickly and Tex took over, planning out their course and briefing the men on how the terrain looked and where the roving scouts and spotters would most likely hide to try and catch them. After a quick glance back at the map and compass, the men took off vigilantly scanning the areas in the direction they were headed.

After close to ten hours of grueling hiking and crawling to avoid detection, Puck and the rest of the Army's 10th Mountain Division Special Troops unit arrived at the rendezvous point. Once they found the executive officer in charge of the event, they found out they had finished third just after the US Army Delta Force team and the Navy SEALs, only missing the latter by a few minutes. Tex joked that the Delta team cheated, since they happened to be stationed out of Fort Bragg and thus had home turf advantage. However, one of the Delta members was spotted by one of the scouts and while they finished first, they would be docked points for sloppy maneuvering.

Since neither the SEALs nor the 10th Mountain Division were detected at all, they would all place ahead of the Delta team, seeing as stealth was a major requirement for their jobs and the exercise overall. The Marines finished fourth and the Air Force finished fifth, yet one of the Marines was spotted as well, dropping them to last place and giving Delta the second to last finish.

After all was said and done, all of the men went to the chow hall and mingled with the men from the other teams, swapping stories and getting to know one another. They all intermixed and made new friends even though all of the services tended to get a bit competitive with one another, each thinking their service was the best. Yet, the Special Forces teams were a bit different and many of the guys knew it would be a good idea to get to know each other seeing as more and more often the teams tended to be deployed together, utilizing the skills from other services and branches to conduct much larger scale special operations abroad. Seeing as how many of the men in the room were some of the best at what they did for their service, there was a decent chance they may see each other again in the future.

Once they were given a chance to eat and shower, they congregated again to find out who took home the top prize and bragging rights for the year until the next Special Forces Warfare Games. All the units were read off and congratulated on their invitation and overall success in the games then came time for the results. Fifth place went to Marine Corps and Puck was shocked. They were supposed to be the biggest badasses out there but he reasoned it had something to do with the fact that they were known for being the rough and tumble, first ones into the fight and had a tendency to be a bit louder and in your face than the other services. They still excelled at what they did, but were not exactly stealthy when it came to this year's games.

The Air Force Special Operations Unit took fourth. While they excelled at the air-to-land exercises and anything that required the use of an aircraft, they did not rank as highly in the marksmanship and ordinance events, coming in close to last in each of those. Puck chuckled a little when Tex leaned over and joked that they should stick to giving people rides, dropping off and picking up troops while staying out of any sort of firefight what-so-ever.

Delta Force took third, and while they did quite well in most of the events, the last event the "Warrior Dash" killed their score when one of their men was spotted.

The remaining two teams held their breath, anxious to see who reigned supreme for the year. In the individual events, the SEALs and the 10th Mountain Division had been trading off first and second quite a bit so they knew it was going to be close.

After what seemed like forever, the executive officer in charge of the names revealed the winner. The honors went to the Navy SEALs, who edged out the 10th Mountain Division by only a few points, having gained their small lead from their win on the Warrior Dash.

Overall, considering the 10th Mountain team was the youngest of all the teams in terms of ages of their soldiers, they performed very well and were commended by the XO (executive officer) for their skill and abilities. Second place wasn't so bad, and while they were pissed the honors and the bragging rights went to the Navy, the 10th Mountain team had gone out there and given it their all, proving their abilities and proving to themselves they could compete with the best of the best.

After congratulating the winners and joking around with everyone about how other countries militaries should be terrified if the US Special Forces teams were called into action if this was the caliber of soldier we deployed, the boys headed out to catch a transport back to New York to enjoy a full four-day weekend of leave with their girls upon their return.

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While the boys were busy playing in the "G.I. Joe Games" as Rachel referred to it, the girls spent some quality time together. When Quinn wasn't working at the finance firm or as a barista at a local coffee shop during the week and Rachel wasn't rehearsing or performing in her show, they hung out and watched movies or had wine nights and worked on the plans for Rachel & Finn's wedding. Kurt was also helping supervise the wedding details, communicating with the girls via email from Los Angeles, but judging from the way he was able to throw together his dad and Finn's mom's wedding, his advice was well worth the hassle.

Once the boys got back from North Carolina and told them all about how big of badasses they were, the foursome chose to pack up and take a four-day weekend trip out to the East Hamptons town of Montauk, NY. Rachel had convinced Finn and Puck to spring for a few nights at a quaint Bed and Breakfast, and when the couples weren't holed up in their rooms doing whatever it is young couples do on vacation, the girls explored the sleepy little town while the boys took in some deep sea fishing, catching their dinner for a few of the nights.

Even though the summer was winding down and Quinn would be moving back to Columbus in a few short weeks, she and Puck both felt incredibly fortunate to be able to see each other as often as they did. It was still a two and a half to three hour drive each way, but getting to spend time with one another was worth it.

Additionally, since Puck and Finn's living arrangements on base were paid for, the boys earned a decent salary for their positions and were able to afford to do fun and borderline touristy things here and there. While they were all enjoying the mini-trips and exploring they were able to do during the summer months, what mattered most to them was simply enjoying each other's presence.

Sure Puck and Quinn weren't perfect. They still bickered and even gave each other the silent treatment for a week once when they had a disagreement over whether Quinn was flirting with another guy one of their evenings out, but they would make up rather quickly, both realizing they wanted to enjoy what little time they had left during the summer instead of fighting the whole time.

* * *

><p>Before anyone had fully realized it, July had turned into August and summer had started turning into fall, signaling it was time for Quinn to say goodbye to Puck, Finn and Rachel and move back to Columbus for the school year. While goodbyes were always tough and the couple knew it would be a while before they got to see each other again, they promised they would work on making an effort to talk to one another and they both had started a countdown calendar for when the Ohio State football team would travel to Syracuse, NY to play the Orangemen in early October and then head to West Point, NY to play the Army Black Knights in early November.<p>

As soon as Quinn returned to Columbus and got settled into her, Britt and Santana's apartment, her cheer schedule picked up dramatically, scheduling the girls for three-a-day practices for the first few weeks until school started around Labor Day. Once classes started, their cheer practices dwindled down to once a day but her class load of 18 hours and football games on the weekends kept her unbelievably busy.

Puck's schedule remained pretty much the same, still busy all the time since the Army frowned upon slacking. They continued to run simulations and work their duty posts around the base, but regardless of his schedule, he always seemed to make time to call or talk to Quinn at least every other day. Despite their hectic lives, they tried to make it work as best as they could.

Puck had tried to get a weekend off here and there to go and visit Quinn in September, shamelessly admitting to her that he would be all for taking her free admission tickets to see Ohio State play Nebraska at home. Unfortunately for him, he only ended up watching the highlights of the game on ESPN late one night due to an unexpected visit from a three-star general, signaling for his CO, Lt. Parker, to revoke his weekend pass and requiring their whole team stay on base. Granted, Puck knew the man was important and practically everyone ended up staying on base that weekend, but he still would have killed for those tickets, and it was a definite perk his girlfriend got free ones to each home game.

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After waiting close to a month and a half to see one another, Puck was finally able to secure a weekend off and drove up to Syracuse, New York to see Quinn. Sure, he told her it was mainly to watch her cheer, but in reality he hadn't seen Ohio State play in person since he was a kid and ticket prices to their home games were astronomical, his low funds through high school not allowing him to indulge.

Now that Quinn got complimentary tickets to most of the games he was hell-bent on seeing them whenever he was able, even if it meant watching a crappy game where the Buckeyes absolutely destroyed some other sub-par team. And while he'd be damned before he would actually admit it, he was also pretty excited to see Taylor play in person and maybe catch up with him after the game for a bit. He seemed like a pretty cool guy once Puck determined he posed no threat to his and Quinn's relationship, and given the crap he had taken last year from his teammates and his decision to stay for a little while longer, Puck had to give him serious props for stepping up and sticking it out, refusing to let the assholes and haters get to him.

Quinn and the team had arrived early Friday morning and had spent the day hanging out around the campus and preparing for the big game the next day. Unfortunately, Puck wouldn't be able to come in until the next morning as he had guard duty at the base Friday night. Quinn, Santana and Britt wandered around the campus, in awe of all the old stone buildings with the ivy growing in the crevices. The girls spent the day exploring the campus and the surrounding town shops, taking tons of pictures as photography had become a hobby of Quinn's from her summer in New York.

Quinn was completely taken by the campus, enthralled by its beauty and small-town feel, where as Santana and Britt enjoyed flirting shamelessly with a few of the women's softball and volleyball players they met in the quad. After spending a few hours exploring, they were required to meet back up with the team for the evening and turn in early to prepare for the game the next day.

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Quinn was so excited to see Puck that she barely slept the night before, feeling slightly sluggish and in dire need of coffee the next morning. Puck on the other hand was completely energized at work for his entire shift. He felt antsy and anxious to get out of Ft. Drum and drive to Syracuse to see Quinn and watch the game. He was buzzing around like a little kid with A.D.H.D., to the point where his CO ended up telling him to leave early simply because he was annoying the hell out of everyone.

Puck had packed a duffle the night before and threw it in his truck before his shift, so he didn't even change out of his fatigues before heading out to make the hour and a half trek. He called Quinn to let her know he was close and made it onto campus just in time to grab his ticket, steal a quick kiss from Quinn, hear Santana tell them to get a room while Britt made kissy-face noises and watch the girls turn right back around and run back into the visitor's entrance to the stadium. He was bummed to see her have to leave so soon since he just got there, but he couldn't say he hated the view, watching her cheer skirt rise up and sway with the motion of her hips.

He jumped back in his truck and went to find a pay-for-parking lot, only to be thanked for his service by the lot attendant and allowed to park for free, seeing as how he was practically advertising for the Army in his BDUs. He hustled into the game, thanking the attendant again on the way in and found his seat. Ohio State seemed to have quite a few fans in attendance, and he was excited to be surrounded by the energy and exhilaration of the college football crowd.

After Ohio State absolutely dominated Syracuse, thanks to Taylor Martin's 3 touchdown passes and one touchdown run, Puck waited around by the visitor's entrance gate where Quinn had instructed him to wait for her. As soon as Quinn rounded the corner with Santana, Britt and another cheerleader Whitney, she took off in a full sprint, dropping her bag and leaping into Puck's arms.

It felt so amazing to feel his arms wrapped around her again and she wanted nothing more than to stay that way for as long as she could. However, their moment was cut short by Santana rounding the couple and smacking Puck as hard as she could on the ass, him leaping forward in surprise almost dropping Quinn. He set her down and rounded to face a smirking Santana holding up her hands in surrender and telling him she couldn't help it. He felt the best form of revenge was to grab her into a big bear hug and as soon as he lifted her off the ground she immediately recoiled, trying to wiggle her way out of his embrace. Her antics made the other three girls laugh at her obvious discomfort at the physical contact.

The girls introduced Puck to their teammate Whitney and as the four of them were chit-chatting a bit, Britt noticed their friend Taylor round the corner and head toward them. Taylor and Puck shook hands and Puck congratulated him on the awesome game. Taylor laughed and thanked him, stopping to tell him he was glad Puck could make it and that seeing Puck at this game has been all Quinn has been able to talk about since they went back to school. The boys fell into an easy conversation before Taylor was pulled away by the university publicist to talk to a few of the media people there.

Shortly thereafter, Santana cleared her throat and told the couple to have a lovely evening and to try not to have any more babies, which in Santana-speak was the equivalent of her being protective and telling them to be safe, and the duo said their goodbyes to the other three girls, heading out to Puck's truck.

Puck opened the truck door for her before rounding the front and climbing in for himself, only to practically be tackled against his door by Quinn, who in record time, was already in her bra and working on Puck's belt before he had time to process what was going on. He muttered something incoherent when he felt Quinn's soft hands reach past the waistband on his briefs and touch him where he had been craving her contact the most.

She looked up at him and bit her tongue in between her teeth before raising an eyebrow and telling him she went ahead and made her own travel arrangements back to Ohio for late the next night and Finn had assured her Puck was free until Monday morning, giving them the whole night and most of the next day to do whatever they wanted. Puck was thrilled by the surprise and excited to spend the rest of the night and next day in bed with her, doing all the dirty things he had fantasized about late at night for the past several weeks since they parted last.

He gasped as he felt her tongue swirl around the tip of Puck Jr. and quickly glanced around the now nearly empty parking lot before tangling his fingers in her blonde locks and enjoying the attention for a little while, promising he would definitely make it up to her later.

* * *

><p>After they parted at the Syracuse airport, the goodbye was not as hard knowing they would see each other again in a few weeks when Ohio State returned to New York State to play the United States Military Academy, aka the Army Black Knights, at West Point. Puck knew Army had no chance against Taylor "The Cannon" Martin and the No. 2 ranked Buckeyes but he was hoping they would put up a good fight. They were soldiers after all and their cadets would be serving alongside Puck, Finn and other service members soon enough so he hoped they were enjoying the ride that was the college sports experience while it lasted.<p>

The month apart flew by quickly and before he knew it, the game day weekend was almost upon them. About a week before the game, Puck received a call from Quinn in the middle of the afternoon, only when he answered, he was greeted by a familiar male voice. Taylor had moved into an apartment near the girls that year and had come over one night to tell them of a surprise he had for Puck. The girls squealed when he told them of his plan and Quinn insisted on Taylor calling Puck personally.

Taylor told Puck that he knew Puck was aware Quinn, Santana and Britt each got a complementary ticket to all the away games as it was, but that he had snagged four additional tickets to the game once he told the ticket people and public relations folks he had several friends in the Army stationed in New York who were big Ohio State fans. He knew Puck and Finn were fans, and he figured Rachel may want to come too so that took care of the three tickets the cheerleaders had, but he also told Puck that Quinn mentioned he was on a team with 4 other guys and he would love for their whole team to be his guests to the game.

Puck was honored and the only response he could muster was "you've got to be shitting me!" He turned to look at the other guys on his team sitting around in the briefing room with him and asked them if they wanted to go to a football game that weekend. The other guys were ecstatic, hooting and hollering while yelling out and thanking Taylor. Puck thanked him again and told him they were excited to see them the following weekend.

The week passed by uneventfully and when game day Saturday rolled around, the guys hopped into their vehicles and headed out toward West Point. Since they were current service members stationed in the state of New York, their XO told them they needed to represent the Army and wear their fatigues…but that didn't stop Puck and Finn from rocking the Ohio State shirts under their uniforms.

Rachel took the train that morning and met up with the men outside the stadium, meeting all the other guys Finn spent most of his time with and they all proceeded into the stadium to find their seats. They were pleasantly surprise to just how good of tickets the girls and Taylor were able to get them, sitting all of 5 rows off the field near the Ohio State sideline. The cheerleaders ran out, waving their pom pons and cheering as the team took the field. Quinn, Santana and Britt lined up near the sidelines and as soon as Rachel saw Quinn scanning the stands looking for the group, she stood up and waved, smiling brightly and pulling at Puck's arm. Quinn smiled widely when she saw Puck smiling back at her with those devastating eyes and cute dimples, and waved at the guys, showing San and Britt where they were sitting.

After Army took the field in their badass camouflage uniforms, the announcer asked the crowd if there were any military veterans or current service members in the stands, besides the students, and if they could please stand and be recognized for their service. Puck looked around at stadium at all the people, men and women, young and old, who stood when asked if they had served, only to be half-hoisted out of his seat by Tex to stand as well.

The crowd around their 6 man group stand up and immediately burst into applause, earning lots of handshakes from several of the men sitting near them. Puck looked down at Quinn, seeing her beam with pride before he caught Taylor's eye on the sideline briefly, watching him applaud and tip his helmet at the men. It hadn't quite sunk in yet that he and his friends were classified in that group, and even though he had not joined the military for the recognition, it was nice to see that people did appreciate their sacrifice and desire to serve and protect their nation.

Once the crowd died down and the teams and starters were introduced, Army kicked off the football and the game was on. Even though Rachel wasn't really into football, she thoroughly enjoyed watching how into it the boys got, laughing with one another and enjoying a weekend together away from the stresses of training. Rachel also thought it was pretty cool to watch Quinn, San and Britt cheer. Sure, she had seen them cheer in high school but this was a whole new level and the atmosphere and environment got Rachel into the football spirit, asking Finn what was happening in every play and cheering for every good play and celebrating each score.

By the end of the game, Army had put up a good fight but not good enough to stave off the Buckeyes. They team made their way out to the visitor's entrance where they would wait for Quinn and Taylor again. The guys wanted to thank him for the tickets but as they waited, they all ribbed Puck about finally getting to meet this mysterious Quinn girl he talked so much about.

Quinn had pretty much the same reaction to seeing Puck again, sprinting full-blast at him and leaping into his arms. Once he set her down he made all the appropriate introductions to all of his teammates. Parker, Hunt and Vargas all told her it was nice to meet her while Tex made one of his typical smart-ass comments about how it was nice to finally meet the girl from the racy picture. Quinn turned bright red and smacked Puck on the arm. He flinched away from her swing, trying to explain that he never showed anyone but Tex just chuckled and made a comment about how her reaction totally validated this picture's existence. He had heard of it, but was skeptical it existed until then, trying to get her to fist-pound him for the awesome idea in response.

Santana smirked and told Tex they would probably get along great and the two of them started snickering at Puck and Quinn for a while. After about a half an hour of chit-chat, the team finally started coming out and Quinn and Puck introduced the men to Taylor, who all promptly thanked him politely for the tickets. The group then proceeded to jump in their cars and were escorted off the base by the military police guards, meeting up at a restaurant in town for dinner. They talked, laughed and told stories, enjoying the company and after several hours of conversation, the other four men left for their hotel rooms while Puck and Quinn and Finn and Rachel left for their rooms.

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The next morning, the fantastic four met for breakfast at a little café in town before they all had to part and head back to their respective cities. Rachel and Finn spent most of the morning wrapping up various wedding plans and telling Quinn and Puck about the nuptials and their respective roles in their wedding. They had set their wedding date for a weekend in mid-December when everyone would finally be out of school for winter break and seeing as how Christmastime was Finn and Rachel's time of year, it seemed to be the perfect time.

Rachel and Finn had talked about their wedding party but had yet to finalize and inform all of their friends they wanted them to act as bridesmaids or groomsmen. Finn asked Puck to be his best man, to which Puck accepted immediately, giving Finn a bro-hug in the process. Rachel had asked Kurt to be her "man of honor" but wanted to know if Quinn would agree to be a bridesmaid.

Rachel and Quinn had grown much closer over the summer and Quinn was absolutely honored Rachel wanted her to be a part of her and Finn's special day. They told them Mr. Schue had agreed to officiate the ceremony and Finn told them how he was also asking Mike, Tex, Parker and Hunt to be his groomsmen with Vargas and Sam as ushers. Rachel was going to ask Tina, Mercedes, and Meghan, her friend from school & her Rock of Ages co-star to also be her bridesmaids and she was excited at the thought that all of their bridesmaids and groomsmen were going to look great in pictures together.

Finn just laughed at her picture comment and said he was sure everyone was going to have a blast. When Puck leaned over to discuss the alcohol situation with Finn, Rachel leaned over and told Quinn that knew Kurt was planning some sort of bridal shower/bachelorette party and judging from the menacing cackle he gave when she asked what he had planned, Rachel was a little nervous. She asked Quinn to investigate a little and Quinn just smiled, immediately thinking of ideas for the perfect and perfectly embarrassing bachelorette gifts.

Quinn and Puck could tell their friends were thrilled to finally make it official and tie the knot. After breakfast, they all parted with the knowledge the next time they would all be together, Finn and Rachel would be becoming man and wife.

* * *

><p><em>Christmas Break <em>

If you asked him, Puck personally believed it was insane for Finn and Rachel to get married. He tried to talk Finn out of it a while back, saying they had only gotten engaged 9 months ago and that they were way too young to be tying the knot so they should just do the long term engagement thing, but Finn would have nothing of it. They both were 20 at the time and Rachel was midway through her sophomore year at NYU and starring in a role off-Broadway, but Puck was convinced it was crazy to get married before you could legally buy the alcohol you were serving at your wedding. But to each their own, he supposed.

Realistically, this day had been a long time coming and after all of the drama and angst in high school and all of the separation and stress of the past year and a half, Finn and Rachel deserved to finally make it official and celebrate their big day. Plus, given their crazy training schedules, Christmas break was about the only time they could fit their wedding in so that all of their friends could be in attendance as well.

Kurt was a hell of a wedding planner and had done a great job on Mr. Hummel and Ms. Hudson's wedding several years back, so everyone agreed he would do a wonderful job for Finn and Rachel's big day. But when Kurt told Finn, Puck and the other guys from their team they couldn't wear their dress blues because they would clash with the colors, Finn had thankfully put his foot down.

Puck thought he may have taken a swing at the boy if he made one more comment about the uniforms, but luckily Finn took care of it first, explaining how hard they worked for the badges on their arms and the ribbons on their chests and how he would fire Kurt as their wedding planner if he didn't relent on this one thing. After Kurt saw how serious he was being and after watching how Rachel seemed to light up when Finn had his dress uniform on, Kurt gave in and didn't say another word.

While Rachel had initially wanted to get married in NYC, she and Finn finally ended up deciding to hold the ceremony back in Lima. They were glad they did, as they were able to surround themselves with their close friends and family and not too many people would have to make the long trip besides a few people in the wedding party.

After the rehearsal dinner, Puck and the rest of the boys plotted to kidnap Finn and give him one last hoorah before taking the plunge while the girls were all too happy to entertain Rachel for the evening's bachelorette party. Santana and Britt had tagged along as well, reassuring Kurt they knew how to throw a hell of a party. The girls started out at Quinn's mom's house, opening gifts containing racy lingerie, fun yet slightly intimidating toys that made Rachel turn bright red in embarrassment and enough condoms to last the couple at least a year. They then decided to go to a bar there in town, in hopes the bartenders would look past the fact they were not quite legal yet and let them in on the basis that one of them was getting married the next day.

As soon as they pulled up and walked into the bar, they were greeted with loud cat calls and cheers from a familiar looking group of guys huddled near a back pool table. The girls decided to join the bachelor party for a little while, enjoying a few drinks and letting loose before calling it a night and heading home to get a good night's rest before the big day.

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Rachel woke up energized as ever and she, Quinn, Santana, Britt, and Meghan went to the gym to run out a little pre-wedding anxiety before prepping themselves for the evening's events. They then all showered and did their make-up before meeting up with Mercedes and Tina and going into town to get their hair done. After all the girls had cycled through the salon, the headed back to Rachel's house to put their dresses on and get ready to head to the church.

The boys had spent the morning playing video games and relaxing before getting into their uniforms and tuxes and heading to the church as well. Once the ceremony started drawing closer, Finn began pacing the length of the room the guys were supposed to wait in until the ceremony started. He knew he was doing the right thing and marrying the girl he loved and had no regrets what so ever, but he still couldn't help feel nervous about making it official. The more he paced, the more he got to thinking about the rest of their lives together and he started to sweat. Badly.

He wanted to give Rachel the world and make sure she was happy the rest of their lives but he couldn't guarantee that considering the job he had. He didn't know when he would be called to fight or when he would be deployed and if he would come back in one piece, but he knew he wanted to spend the rest of whatever time God gave him with her. Puck tried talking to him a bit to get him to loosen up and Tex handed him a beer, telling him he needed to calm down. Finally the piano started playing, signaling their cue to get out to their spots to start the wedding.

Finn sat his mother and Burt in the front row and took his place up at the altar. He was soon joined by Puck flanking his left and Mr. Schue taking his place at the front of the aisle with Kurt standing off to the right. The piano changed songs and out walked Tina and Mike, making their way down the aisle and splitting off to their respective sides once they made it to the front. Next came Meghan and Lt. Parker then Mercedes and Hunt, and finally Quinn made her way down the aisle with Tex.

Finn smiled as all the pairs walked down the aisle, trying to look past them to catch a glimpse of Rachel. However, Puck only had eyes for the girl walking toward them arm-in-arm with Tex. He felt his breathing hitch and he couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his face at the sight of Quinn in her form fitting red dress and blonde curls cascading down her back, walking towards the front. She was absolutely breathtaking and watching her walk down the aisle, her eyes meeting his the whole time, gave Puck a slight twinge in his heart.

Her and Tex went and took their places in the lines and the music changed over to the wedding march. Puck looked out toward the back doors just in time to see Rachel round the corner and begin her walk down the aisle, escorted by both of her parents. Puck snuck a quick glance over at his best friend beaming brightly and tearing up slightly at the sight of his future wife walking toward them, and in that moment Puck couldn't be happier for his friend.

As soon as Rachel saw Finn tear up, her eyes began to well with emotion. She tried to breathe through it and hold it together, trying to focus on Santana's earlier threat, telling her that she wasn't allowed to cry and mess up her masterpiece of a make-up job Santana had given her or else, but she couldn't help it. They reached the front and her parents gave their blessing before letting Finn take her hand. Finn raised her veil and wiped away her remaining tears then took her hand and led her up to where Mr. Schue stood waiting.

After a few blessings, a quick story about the couple and a musical piece meticulously selected by Rachel herself, it was time for the vows. Mr. Schue directed Kurt and Puck to hand over the rings and asked Finn to repeat after him. Once Mr. Schue finished, it was Finn's turn.

He turned to Rachel and took her hand, breathing deep, "Rachel, I take you to be my wedded wife. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. In times of joy and in times of hardship. I promise myself to only you. Take this ring as a sign of my love, loyalty and fidelity to you as I promise to love, honor and cherish you for the rest of my life."

He slid the gold and diamond band down her finger and pulled her hand up to his mouth, kissing the spot he had just placed the ring.

Rachel started misting up again, brushing away a few more tears before taking Finn's left hand and stating her vows. "Finn, I take you to be my wedded husband. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. In times of joy and in times of hardship. I promise myself to only you. Take this ring as a sign of my love, loyalty and fidelity to you as I promise to love, honor and cherish you for the rest of my life."

She slid the titanium band onto his left ring finger and looked up at him, smiling brightly before turning back to Mr. Schue.

Mr. Schue smiled back at his two former students before continuing his portion of the ceremony. "Rachel and Finn, you have both just stated your intentions and promised to love one another for the rest of your lives. Therefore, by the power vested in me, by the state of Ohio and the online ordination service that allowed me to preside over this union, and in front of all of these witnesses, I am honored to pronounce you husband and wife. Finn, you may now kiss your bride."

Mr. Schue was barely able to finish before Finn grasped Rachel's waist, dipping her and pulling her into a deep kiss. Everyone in the church applauded wildly and once the couple pulled apart, Mr. Schue announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my privilege to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Finn and Rachel Hudson."

The couple made their way down the aisle, Finn high-fiving people along the way as Rachel trotted alongside side of him, pausing to kiss once again as they made it to the end of the aisle. When the recessional began, Tex butted in front of Puck, joining Kurt in strolling out after their friends and allowing Puck to escort Quinn back down the aisle.

Puck made a mental note to thank Tex later, grasping Quinn's hand and leading them down toward the back doors. As soon as they were safely outside, Puck couldn't wait any longer, pulling Quinn in and kissing her fiercely and holding her close. The two were inseparable the rest of the evening, barely moving from one another's side during pictures and throughout the rest of the reception.

The night was magical for Finn and Rachel. It was everything she had ever dreamed of and more. As she and Finn swayed to the music of Mr. Schue's rendition of Michael Buble's "Everything" during their first dance, she sighed and leaned into Finn's strong chest, telling him she loved him and she couldn't wait to start their lives together. They mingled with guests and danced with their friends some more, pausing only to dance with their parents during the father-daughter and mother-son dance.

Puck and Quinn swayed to the music as well, holding each other close and sneaking kisses here and there. When the father-daughter dance started, Puck and Quinn ducked away, watching the other people dance to the song and feeling slightly somber in their own respective ways.

As they looked on, Puck felt a slight tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see what it was and he thought his heart stopped beating completely when he saw the perpetrator. Standing there behind him and Quinn was a little blonde girl smiling back up at him and holding her arms in the air, asking to be picked up. He glanced up at Quinn who was holding her hand over her mouth and staring at their daughter before he looked back up and scanned the reception room, catching Shelby's eye and smile from a few feet away.

He looked back at Quinn before asking Shelby if it was ok to dance with her. The raven-haired women nodded sweetly and Puck picked up Beth, carrying her out to the floor and began to dance with his daughter. She was chattering away, telling him all about her little life and he conversed back with her, asking her all sorts of questions, the two sharing their own sweet moment.

Puck was captivated by the little blonde who looked so much like her mother it hurt. She was precious and she tucked her head into Puck's shoulder as they danced. He held her close and felt small tears of joy pricking at his eyes as he gazed down at her nestled into his chest.

Quinn didn't think she had ever seen anything as beautiful as watching her daughter and the love of her life sway back and forth to the music. She noticed the shine in Puck's eyes before the man leaned down and kissed the three year old on the crown of her head, instantly causing the blonde to tear up just watching the father and daughter dance together.

Beth looked up and began to point back to where Quinn and Shelby stood, Puck noting the blonde crying silently as she watched. Puck gestured to her to join them and the parents stood out there on the dance floor holding their little girl and rocking to the beat, savoring the moment with everything they could.

After several more songs and plenty of pictures of them dancing with Beth, she started getting sleepy and it was time for bed. Puck and Quinn kissed the little girl good night and thanked Shelby for making their year, before Beth and her adoptive mother went and said goodbye to Rachel then headed toward their hotel room. Puck and Quinn stood there fixated on the little girl until she disappeared around the corner and the two of them fell into an easy silence, dancing and holding each other close.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As the older folks started leaving, it was time to get the party started and thanks to Santana, Britt, and Tex, things were looking like they could get crazy. Puck got Finn and the rest of the groomsmen, including Kurt, to do a few rounds of shots in celebration while the girls shook their asses to a selection of dance songs compiled by Britt. Rihanna, Ke$ha and Brittney Spears blared out over the speaker system while the youngsters enjoyed the rest of their party, dancing, drinking and socializing the night away.

The clock struck one and the newlyweds decided to call it an evening to enjoy the rest of their wedding night alone. The boys had snuck out of the reception for a little while to mark up Finn's truck, decorating it with car paint stating "Just Married" and tying cans to his back bumper.

The couple began to exit the building, Rachel and Finn stopping to hug their friends and say goodbye. Puck pulled Finn in for a man-hug and shoved a handful of condoms into Finn's jacket pocket, smirking and patting his friend on the back, telling him to "Do Work!"

Rachel hugged all of the girls while Finn finished shaking all of his friends hands, earning a smack on the ass from Santana, a "don't be a fool, wrap his tool" from Meghan, and whispered words of encouragement from the rest of her friends. Not that Rachel needed any encouragement at all. No, tonight she was definitely going to enjoy her wedding night with her new husband. If he was lucky, she may even wait to tackle him until they got into the room.

x-x-x-x-x

After helping pick up a few decorations and load up the rest of the presents, Puck and Quinn finally found their way back to their hotel room. After watching two of their best friends get married and getting to spend time with their daughter again, their emotions got the best of them and Quinn turned to Puck, immediately starting to unbutton his uniform jacket as he reached around to find the zipper on her dress.

Their desire for each other and their need to feel one another only heightened their urge to shed their clothes, stripping each other frantically as their lips and tongues tangled together. Once they were both undressed and Puck slid on top of Quinn, the urgency from earlier dissipated and they indulged in a long, slow and sensual lovemaking session.

Puck's hands and lips caressed her skin and Quinn clawed at his back, feeling so much but needing more at the same time. They took their time and explored one another, showing how much they loved the other and delighting in the gasps and moans their movements and ministrations elicited.

After what seemed like forever they both hit their peaks at the same time, tumbling over the edge together. Neither moved for a long time, simply content just holding one another before Quinn broke the silence, kissing Puck's chest. "I love you, Puck."

"I love you too babe."

"I have something to confess," she sighed. "I haven't been completely honest with you." Puck quirked his head, a slight look of concern etched on his face. "It's nothing bad, just something I had been putting off telling you until the right moment."

Puck pushed away from her a bit to look in her eyes, "Should I be worried?"

Quinn smiled softly before nodding her head in the negative, "No, nothing bad. When the football team went up and played Syracuse this past semester Santana, Britt and I explored the campus a bit. I fell in love with it up there and since I don't have too much cheer stuff going on in the spring, I decided to apply for a semester abroad up there."

Puck's eyebrows raised in response, "Really? I didn't know you were considering it."

"Yeah, that's the part I hadn't told you yet. I didn't want to get excited if nothing was going to happen."

"And?" Puck questioned, hoping the answer was good.

Quinn sat up on her elbow and smiled back at him, biting her lip between her teeth, "I got in!"

Puck sat straight up, almost knocking into Quinn on his way up, "You got in? Does that mean – When do you start?"

"January… Lucky you, Mr. Puckerman. You are now only an hour away from me."

Puck enveloped her in a tight hug, kissing her and tugging her back down to the bed, rolling on top of her. "That is very lucky, Ms. Fabray," he said in between kisses, "very lucky for me indeed."

"Mmm, lucky for me too. I have a feeling this is going to work out just fine." She purred as his hands started to wander down toward her rear.

"Speaking of getting lucky, I think we should celebrate our good fortune," Puck said with a smirk.

"I think that's a fantastic idea." Quinn groaned at the contact. She hooked her legs around Puck's waist and flipped him onto his back, climbing on top. She kissed him softly before easing herself down onto him, prepared to bask in the ecstasy he elicited once again.

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><p><strong>AN:** _As promised, the next chapter will pick up a bit as well. _Thanks again for following the story! Your support and reviews mean the world to me. _You all rock!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Wow, 77 reviews! Sorry the last chapter was a bit long, but I hope this one piques your interest a bit more than the last. And 3 updates in a week? I'm on a roll! I hope you are all still enjoying the story!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

Quinn spent the second semester of her sophomore year studying at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. After Rachel and Finn's wedding, she spent the Christmas holidays with her mother and sister then met back up with Puck to celebrate the New Year. Puck helped her pack up whatever stuff she thought she would need and she said goodbye to Santana and Britt before hopping into her car with Puck and taking off for New York.. They had a fun road trip, stopping along the way to see various quirky tourist attractions and scenic byways before making it to her temporary new school.

Her semester started off just as any other school semester would, lots of homework and plenty of studying but this time she didn't have that build in friendship network like she had at Ohio State. She tried to attend several functions, going to parties and basketball games with her apartment-mates and what not, but the social scene was just not the same. She was used to Ohio and the Midwestern feel to the campus and Syracuse was a little different than that. The people were all a bit upper-crust New Englanders who were a bit hoity-toity for her liking but seeing that it was temporary, she didn't worry too much about being uber-social like she was in high school and college thus far. Plus she just kept telling herself this was a great school that had a beautiful campus and she was only an hour away from Puck, which was a definite plus.

Since she had made the move to upstate New York, it seemed as though her and Puck spend almost every weekend he wasn't working with each other. They would go explore new little towns or would go out in Syracuse for the evening or simply stay in and hang out, watching a movie or whatever Quinn's roommates would DVR. They were able to celebrate both Puck and Quinn's 20th birthdays together and simply enjoyed the convenience of being in such close proximity to one another. They made time for each other as much as they could, sometimes visiting each other just for the night or even just for dinner if that was the only free time either of them got for a while. It was only an hour or so drive but being together was worth the commute.

She and Puck had also gotten together with the newlyweds Rachel and Finn a few times as well. One weekend, she, Puck and Finn traveled down to New York City to visit Rachel and the couples spent a considerable amount of time looking over their wedding and honeymoon pictures. Even though Rachel and Finn had only been able to get away for a few days, the Hudson-Hummels sent them to Puerto Rico for their honeymoon right around spring break time and they made sure to soak it all in as best they could in what little time they had.

Quinn felt a slight pang of jealousy at how much fun the two of them looked like they had at their wedding and on their honeymoon, but the sheer looks of love and devotion on their faces when she caught them sneaking glances at one another was priceless and made her giddy to know that kind of true love existed. The photographer had even snapped a picture of Puck, Quinn and Beth dancing out on the dance floor that was absolutely precious and made her a bit misty eyed just looking at it. Rachel told her she knew Quinn and Puck would like that one so she took the liberty to get them each a copy for themselves, framing them as gifts for their respective birthdays.

The rest of her semester passed by fairly uneventfully. Puck continued to train with his team and Quinn worked hard on maintaining her GPA and staying in shape for cheer season in the fall. Quinn had also fallen in love with law and government as she really enjoyed all of her pre-law courses she scheduled herself in that semester. She decided to put finance on the back burner and instead focus on what she could do to make herself more competitive for law school after she graduated from OSU.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The semester was over before they even realized it and with the month of May drawing to a close, it was time for Quinn to pack back up and head back to Columbus. Part of the trade-off her coach offered her when she initially applied to study abroad at Syracuse was that she would have to come back to Columbus for the summer and work the cheer camp with Santana and Britt while she got back into cheering-shape and worked on her routines with the other two girls. Being close to Puck for the semester was worth it for her so she agreed.

June in Ohio was ridiculously hot and humid. After moving into a new off campus house with San and Britt, her summer cheer schedule took off and before she knew it she found herself sweltering outside in the heat surrounded by a ton of little girls in cheer uniforms teaching them new routines and moves. The first session of camp was a group of high school age girls, all of which were pretty good except for their snotty attitudes. She had to turn to Santana and ask if they were ever like that to which Santana snorted and shook her head in the affirmative. Quinn knew she had been a bitch in high school but seeing it come from other people was a wake-up call and she felt so sorry to those who she had been so awful to back in the day.

However, the next session was amazing. There were about 100 little girls under the age of 14 running around campus and while it felt like extreme babysitting a lot of the time, it was a lot of fun to teach these little ones moves they could do as little cheerleaders. As she watched the girls bound up and down the field house, she couldn't help but wonder if Beth would be in these girls places one day and caught herself smiling about the images she conjured up in her head of her in a little cheer uniform.

Puck would probably have a fit if he knew what she was imagining as he had been fairly stern a while back saying "no daughter of mine will be a cheerleader…the skirts are too short and they attract unwanted attention." Quinn laughed at his hypocrisy and joked that he loved her in her uniform, to which Puck replied that he was well aware of what guys thought when they saw girls in the uniforms since he was once one of those 'perverts' as he dubbed it. Quinn conceded but now she couldn't help but be curious as to how their daughter would be when she grew up and what types of things would she get into in middle school and high school.

The rest of her summer was spent working out and getting ready for her own cheer season while working evenings and some weekends as a barista in Starbucks. She didn't make much, but it was good to have a little to spending money here and there in case she could manage to get away to visit Puck again.

The two of them talked on the phone when they could, sending texts and emails when scheduling a phone conversation became too difficult. They both even set up a Skype account so they could try and catch each other and talk face to face whenever possible.

It was a bit somber knowing that they weren't living all that close to each other anymore and that there wasn't a whole lot to look forward to for the remaining days of summer and fall. Ohio State wasn't playing anywhere near New York this season, and due to their busy schedules, Quinn didn't know when she and Puck would be able to see each other again. It was tough knowing they would be separated for an indefinite amount of time this time, but they both promised each other they would make it work, no matter what.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Puck's training schedule had picked up quite substantially as well. Since it was the summer and the conditions were finally stable enough to conduct mountain training and drills, the team spent quite a few days at a time running simulations and training while essentially camping out in the wilderness. With the massive increase in training, Puck couldn't help but get an uneasy feeling that all of this training and extended simulations were leading up to something, but what, he didn't want to focus on. He had a job to do and he would go out and perform, giving it 110% in the process.

They also began working with the Air Force Special Operations aviation team, practicing air to land drops and loading, simulating situations where they would utilize the Air Force's resources to get in and out of a place quickly if needs be. They trained in everything from mountain recon to urban assault conditions, preparing for everything. While they could never be sure of their schedule for more than a month out and never knew when they would be called into action, they were doing the best they could at preparing for any condition they may face if that day ever came.

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><p>The second week in August, that day came.<p>

Puck and the rest of his team had been pulling guard duty at the base when they each received a message to report in to their Special Troops briefing room immediately. They were all relieved of their duty shortly there after and all of the men reported in as asked, taking a seat and waiting to see what all the fuss was about.

Lt. Parker was the last one from their team to enter the room, trailing behind a tall, weathered looking man with salt-and-pepper hair in a crisp, tailored working uniform, complete with tie and everything. As soon as the men noticed the rank, Vargas called the men to attention to salute the senior officer in the room. The men snapped up to attention, holding their rigid posture as the colonel entered the room before he told them to be at ease and take a seat.

The unit's executive officer (XO), Col. James Pike stood in front of the men and cleared his throat before beginning, "Men, as you all know, this country is at war with various terrorist and extremist factions in the Middle East. We have held a continuous presence in the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan for a few years now yet little progress has been made in certain regions, making it difficult to execute our mission and drive terrorism out of the areas. Lt. Parker, if you please?" He questioned, nodding at Lt. Parker who immediately pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against and picked up a set of green folders, handing one out to each of the men.

Col. Pike continued, "If you will all open your folders, I will begin briefing you on the specs of your mission."

Puck opened the folder in front of him, gingerly pulling the first page out and scanning the headline: "**Deployment Status: Active – Region: Zabul Province, Afghanistan.**"

He swallowed hard, looking up briefly to where Finn sat next to him, eyes as huge as saucers as he stared at the page in front of him.

Pike began to explain, "You boys have been training together for almost a year now, running simulations and exercises that could end up mirroring various missions you will be asked to go on during your time in country. Recently, due to some new intelligence the Pentagon has received, it has come to the Army's attention that there is a great need for men and teams with your level of skill and training in a few of the regions around western Afghanistan. The terrain is mountainous and rugged, proving difficult for untrained infantry soldiers to traverse and detect various terrorist strongholds hidden in caves throughout the region. You are now being called upon to undertake the task of locating these terrorist cells, gaining intelligence on their network and locations, and to extinguish the threat they pose."

Lt. Ryan picked up another thicker set of folders, handing each one out to the men before taking his seat again. Col. Pike began to ramble on about their duty to their country and the political considerations, but Puck could care less about politics. He did not necessarily agree with the political stance the US was taking in the Middle East, sending in thousands of troops to wage a war against a few nations at the drop of a hat, like it didn't even matter to the President or Congress. However, regardless of his political beliefs, he had to do what he was told. The President was his Commander in Chief and he and the rest of the men and women in the service were bound to listen and carry out whatever task was set in front of them by the President and Congress, so he would go and do his duty without complaint.

The more and more he began flipping through the pages in each of the folders, the more he felt his stomach sink at the thought of deployment. Then he saw it, his deployment date: September 1. His heart began to beat rapidly as he absorbed the information. That was a little less than three weeks away!

The Colonel apologized for the short notice and told the men they were to be given a few weeks leave leading up to it to get their affairs in order, but they were expected to report back in to Ft. Drum the morning of the first, prepared to head overseas. They were excused and left to take care of their personal affairs for the rest of the afternoon.

The rest of the day became one big blur as he tried to process what a deployment truly meant. This would be his second time out of the country, next to Canada, but it wasn't the most exotic place to visit. In fact, if he were completely honest with himself, despite all of the training and lead up to this day, the prospect of being deployed to Afghanistan scared the shit out of him.

He had heard several stories about the war in the Middle East from various other soldiers and instructors, and from the sounds of it, Iraq was a walk in the park compared to Afghanistan these days. The US presence, as well as the fall of Saddam Hussein had helped calm the terrorist insurgency in Iraq, but Afghanistan has proven to be the tougher challenge, its rugged terrain and harsh weather proving to be problematic for the soldiers in the past few years.

However, he knows he is well trained and comfortable with the guys on his team, knowing each one has each other's backs. He has a duty to his country and cannot refuse a direct order, and while he may not fancy the idea of a deployment, he will serve and do is best while he is over there, giving his unit, the Army, the rest of the Armed Services, and his country his all to ensure mission success.

After sitting at his table for a few hours sifting through all of the information in the packets the men were issued, Puck saw the full schedule the men had been issued, detailing two more days of training as well as a visit to the base armory and supply station to pick up their requisite gear and weapons and then they were on leave until they had to report back in. He scanned through his orders and deployment information as well as the lengthy checklist of all the things he should take care of before leaving, realizing he had quite a bit to do.

It looked like he would be leaving Ft. Drum at the end of the week and would have just about two and a half weeks to spend with family and friends before reporting back to New York and deploying. Before then, he would need to sort out all of his finances and credit card payments, as well as figure out rent (which he didn't need to worry about as he lived on base for the past several years) and insurance for the period of time he was gone.

He also saw he needed to visit a base JAG officer to obtain his power of attorney and will sorted out. He never thought he would have to draft a personal will and testament at age 20 and thought that was kind of a downer to put on the checklist, but a necessary reminder to get all of your bases covered before going to war.

As he sifted through more of the material, he noted that there were several pamphlets for families and spouses on how to adjust with a member of the military being deployed overseas. He wondered how it was going to be on Finn and Rachel, seeing as how they have barely gotten to spend much time together since they had gotten married, and now with Finn and Puck deploying, they would be apart for a lot lengthier amount of time.

As annoying as Rachel could be at times, she made Finn happy and Puck was truly thrilled for his friends. Though they had yet to actually live together and from what Finn has told him the separation is a huge struggle, he insists they do strong relationship despite the distance, so Puck hopes this deployment won't cause too many additional problems with them. Rachel's off-Broadway show had recently started a nation-wide tour, putting her schooling on hold while she traveled, so Puck figured the distraction would suit her well for the periods of time they were out performing.

He thinks about the prospect of leaving a loved one or even a family for that matter for a long period of time while someone was deployed. It really tugged on his heart strings and sent him into a minor panic at the thought of leaving Quinn. He had grown so accustomed to seeing her on the weekends all the time this past semester, and while he hasn't seen her in a couple of months, having the ability to call her up and hear her voice whenever he felt like it had been incredible.

Now that they had Skype, a glimmer of hope burned in his chest, thinking he may be able to talk to her quite a bit via the internet. But the more he got to thinking about it, the more discouraged he got. While the military does have the technology in many places for people to Skype or email their loved ones, it was much more difficult to do so on a regular basis as the connections were sometimes very weak and depending on the mission, there was the possibility he would be out of communication with everyone except his team and the Army for days or even weeks.

He then realized he had been thinking a whole lot about this whole deployment and hadn't even told Quinn what was going on yet. She deserved to know sooner rather than later but he really felt like he wanted to tell her in person instead of over the phone. He loved her and wanted to see her reaction to his news of his deployment, even though he knew she would probably be upset. Hell, he was upset and having to watch her stomach the news would be even tougher.

He decided he would tell her in two days time, when he was authorized to leave Ft. Drum and go back home for his remaining time in the US. His deployment is slated to last a year, so he wants to spend as much time as he possibly can with her and savor her as he is not sure when he would be able to see her until his time is up next September.

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><p>When he was not training, he spent the rest of his days at Ft. Drum making phone calls and sorting out his affairs, going through the checklist the Army gave him. He set all of his finances straight and took care of all of his insurance matters, including paying off his car insurance for the next year while it would be in storage.<p>

He decided to hold off on taking care of his legal affairs until he returned to Ft. Drum before his deployment so as far as the Army matters were concerned, he was pretty much set to go. The only things remaining on his checklist were a few personal matters he needed attending to as well as moving his things into storage for the time he would be gone. He figures he could leave most of his stuff at his mom's house back in Lima and save some money on a storage unit when a realization hits him hard: he hasn't told his mother about his deployment yet.

He knows she will be upset that he waited so long to tell her and of course she will be concerned but he knew he needed to let her know. He dialed his mom and explained the situation. At first his mother shrieked and dropped the phone in response. Once he had her back on the line, he reassured her that he was highly trained for these types of situations and that she shouldn't worry too much. While she sounds completely terrified of the notion of him fighting in a war zone, he tells her that he will still get to talk to her and his little sister, keeping in frequent contact so they will know he is safe.

After calming her down a bit from the initial shock, he asks her if it would be ok for him to store a few things at her house while he is deployed. Since he has been living on base at a furnished apartment, he doesn't have much that would take up room besides his truck and a few thinks he had picked up here and there that he would like to keep safe. She told him that was more than fine and wanted to know when he would be coming through town.

Puck detailed a little of his schedule and told her when she could expect him in a few days time. She then asked the one question he was hoping she would avoid: whether he had told Quinn yet. He explained he needed to have a serious conversation with her and would do so when he came home, stopping in Lima for a bit to see his family before heading to Columbus to see her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Truth be told, Quinn was really the only thing he could think about over the last few days. He thought long and hard about the stresses of a deployment on relationships, especially given their age, and spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out what they would do during that year apart. A year was a long time, and while he tried to stay optimistic about it, it was still 365 days he would spend without her.

While it is a possibility he could get leave, it is usually hard to predict when your request would be granted, especially when priority is given to expectant fathers and people with families. He knows he wants her in his life and he wants her to be there after this deployment ends but he knows this will be very tough on both of them. It is a long time to be gone and while he loves her with all of his heart and trusts her, waiting for that long is a big sacrifice to ask of a girlfriend.

After thinking about her and the realities of this deployment and its possible effects their relationship for hours on end, he finally makes up his mind and comes to a determination about the future of their relationship. He stands up from the chair he was sitting in, straightening out his back before throwing back the remainder of the contraband whiskey and water in front of him, feeling the burn of the alcohol running down his throat as he swallows hard.

He set down his glass and takes a deep breath, trying to accept the realization that he can't have a girlfriend when he deploys and goes to war in Afghanistan.


	16. Chapter 16

_Woah! 80+ reviews! You guys are awesome! I'm thrilled! I never could have possibly fathomed I would be thisclose to 100! You all are incredible. Thank you for reading and sticking with me!_

**Chapter 16**

Finally his last day at Ft. Drum has arrived. With Finn's help, Puck carries the last of his things out to his truck and looks back towards his best friend.

"Have you told Rachel yet?" Puck asks as he glances down to where Finn's fingers are fidgeting with the ring on his left hand.

"I wasn't going to. I was going to wait to do it in person, but as soon as I told her I needed to talk to her about something important, she pretty much guessed it from the get-go." Finn explained, running his hand along his head. "It's like she's a psychic or something. She figured something was up with our increased training schedule and my poor mood for the last few days."

"At least she knows," Puck mumbled, straightening himself out before looking back up to his friend. "I figured I would tell Quinn in person. How did Rachel take it?"

"Oh, you still haven't told her? Yikes, that'll be something," Finn chided. "Rach actually took it somewhat well. I heard her gasp at first and I could hear her quietly crying on the other end of the line, but she's a tough cookie. I just want to be with her, you know? And since we've gotten married, shit's been hard. This is going to be even harder."

"Yeah," Puck agreed quietly, "but I know you both, you'll make it work."

"So will you and Quinn," Finn replied, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I don't know about that, but we'll see." Puck sighed, defeated. He reached out to shake Finn's hand in parting, "Hey, take care of yourself and enjoy seeing your wife. I'll see ya in a few weeks."

Finn took Puck's hand, "You too man."

Puck climbed into his truck and watched Finn climb into his SUV, the men following each other off the base and parting ways with a wave at the highway.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A little over 8 hours later, Puck drove past the sign welcoming visitors to Lima, Ohio. He smiled slightly to himself as he thought about all the times he dreamed about getting out of this town and never looking back, only to feel a bit nostalgic about coming home again each time he did. It would always be his home, and he could never turn his back on the people and the community that had supported and cared for him and his friends since they were trouble-making kindergarteners.

He drove past the high school, making a mental note to stop in some day and visit Mr. Schue prior to him leaving before continuing towards the suburbs. He felt a slight pang in his heart as he drove past Quinn's monolithic childhood home, turning off toward a suburb less yuppy-like and pulling up in front of his smaller yet cozy childhood home.

As soon as he was able to put his truck in park and turn off the ignition, he saw his sister bolt out of the front door towards him. He hopped out of his truck, engulfing the younger Puckerman in a tight embrace. It had been a while since he had seen his family and he knew he needed to visit them more often when he could. He set his sister down to walk up to his mother, who had followed his sister out the front door, pulling her into a tight hug and kissing her on the cheek.

The woman had done so much for the two of them over the years without the help of Puck's deadbeat dad and he owed her so much, but could never find the words to express how much she meant to him and how much he cared, instead settling for "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, son." She said, eyes sparkling with unshed tears as she took in her child, now a handsome grown man, running her fingers over the patches and insignia fastened to his fatigues. "Let's get you inside, it's awfully hot out here. Are you hungry?"

Puck smiled at his mom before wrapping an arm around her and his sister's shoulders and leading them toward the house, "I'm always hungry, ma!"

As soon as they set foot in the house, his mom reached up and kissed him on the cheek, "It's good to have you home again, Noah."

He looked around at the familiar surroundings, smiling lightly before replying, "It's good to be home."

"Good, now help your sister set the table, dinner will be ready soon."

Puck did as he was told, smirking at the fact that he was still taking orders, even in the comfort of his own home. His family all sat down at the dinner table and dug in, Puck practically shoveling the food into his mouth. When he caught his sister staring at him, mouth gaping wide, he smiled and told her the food on base gets old after a while. She smiled and told him to save a little room for the desert she made him. At her request, he slowed down a bit, enjoying every bite he took.

After dinner and desert had been finished and cleared off the table, they all sat back down at the table enjoying a cup of coffee. Puck's sister, never one for subtlety, decided to just go for it and break the ice. "So, when were you planning on telling me you were being deployed."

Puck fumbled with the mug a bit, startled slightly at the question. "Well, I figured I would tell you in person."

"Oh yeah, well just so you know, I had to get it out of mom one night when I caught her crying after she got off the phone with you."

Puck looked toward his mom with concern. She smiled sweetly before looking back toward her daughter, "It's ok sweetie. I told you, I was just a bit startled and emotional at the time. I have had a little time to think it over and get used to the idea. You have to go and I understand and will support you as best as I can from 7000 miles away."

He felt his heart twist looking at his mother, her eyes full of emotion. "Mom—"

"No, really Noah, it is ok. All parents would react like this to hearing their child is going to war." She sniveled a bit, wiping the tears out from her eyes. Puck glanced at his sister, who too was wiping tears out from under her eyes at the sight of their usually strong mother crying. He wanted to pull the both of them into a giant hug and apologize for making them feel this way. "But you know what? I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished. You will make a tremendous soldier, and I know that with all of your training and skill, you will be just fine. You and Finn will watch each other's backs, wont you?"

Puck felt a slight smile slip onto his lips as he watched his mom accept his deployment, chuckling before replying, "Yeah mom, I'll watch his six." referring to his mother's earlier question about watching Finn's back, "I have a feeling I'm going to get the same question from Rachel sometime soon here too."

His mom laughed and she and his sister launched into several more questions about his deployment. He told them all about the non-confidential portions of his deployment and where he would be going, and explained how they would all be able to communicate with one another. His sister already knew how to use Skype, so the Puckerman children set up an account for their mother as well and taught her how to use it too. They discussed the ways they could get in touch with one another via Skype, and while it would be tricky at times and leave them to use email most of the time, they would make an effort to talk face to face regularly.

She then asked him when he needed to be back in New York and decided she and his sister would go along as well to see the men off as they left, taking a few days off from work in the process. Then she got to the tricky question: what his plans were for the rest of his leave.

He told her he still had a few things he needed to do and pick up in Lima the following morning but the rest of the time he wanted to spend with Quinn. He still hadn't said anything to her about his deployment and they definitely had a few things to discuss before he left, but he was feeling greedy and wanted to spend as much time as he could with her. His mother noticed the look on his face at the mention of Quinn and decided to do her motherly duty and prod him a bit for information.

After discussing his relationship with Quinn for over an hour, Ms. Puckerman stood up from the table and gazed back down at her son, squeezing his shoulder lightly before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. "I know you're no longer a child, Noah, but you will always be my little boy. You have grown into strong and brave young man and I am so proud of you. I trust you know what is best for you and what you know in your heart is the right thing and I will support you 100% in your decision. Now, seeing as how you have quite a bit of running around to do tomorrow before you head to Columbus, I suggest you go to bed." She smiled, knowing her suggestion had fallen on deaf ears before saying good night to her two kids.

Puck spent the rest of the night hanging out and catching up with his sister, talking and laughing into the wee hours of the morning before they both decided to head to bed.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning he get up and goes out for a run, stopping in his and Quinn's "spot" by the pond to do some quick sit-ups and push-ups before running home and showering. He cleaned up and jumped into his truck, heading into town to run his errands. After swinging by a few places and getting stuff with his bank sorted out, he stops by the high school to visit Mr. Schue.

He catches him during an off period and the two men sit and chat for a while, discussing his deployment and life in general before Mrs. Pillsbury-Schuester swings by and joins the reunion. As the bell rings and Puck gets up to leave, Mr. Schue pulls him into a hug before telling him how proud he too is of Puck and Finn and reminds him to stay safe. Puck agrees and parts with a handshake from Mr. Schue and a hug from Mrs. Schuester.

He swings by home again briefly and discusses his plans with his mother before hugging her goodbye and setting off toward Columbus.

* * *

><p>Quinn is getting anxious and her patience level is waning. Although she has spoken to Puck a few times over the past week or so, he has always sounded distant and stressed out. She hasn't wanted to push him too hard as she remembers the last time she got on him for being that way they ended up breaking up for a while and she knew it wasn't fair of her to do. She knew his schedule had picked up and when she called Rachel to ask her if she had heard anything from Finn and voiced her concerns about Puck, Rachel told her just to be patient.<p>

Well, now she was running out of patience and was becoming more and more irritable by the second as she held her pose atop the two other male cheerleaders who held her in the air. She clenched her teeth tightly as she tried to push thoughts of Puck and her frustration out of her mind but it was unsuccessful. Santana was holding the same pose right next to her, telling her to breathe and to pull the stick out of her ass while holding her fake smile in place as well, but Quinn couldn't do it any longer, faltering slightly and tumbling toward the ground, being caught at the last second by one of the guys.

The whole team broke their pose and made their way toward the ground, standing around and looking at their very agitated coach who began to ramble about focus and teamwork and a whole bunch of other crap the team tended to tune out.

"What's up your ass lately?" Santana whispered as she moved to stand next to Quinn.

"It's nothing," Quinn mumbled in response, "just stressed and busy, that's all"

Santana snorted, "Yeah, and I'm a natural fuckin' blonde." Quinn quirked an eyebrow at her friend before turning back and pretending to focus on their coach.

"Oh for fuck's sake, Q, we all know you don't give a shit about anything that old bag says, so spill."

"Fine, it's just Puck." Santana rolled her eyes and Quinn continued, "Do you want me to tell you or not?" When Santana silently nodded, Quinn began again, "He has just been distant lately and he's always sounding stressed and I don't know what's going on with him."

"Have you asked the hobbit if she knows anything?" Santana suggested.

"Really? Still sticking with calling her a hobbit? It's Rachel and yes, I have called her but the only thing she has said is to have patience. What the hell kind of advice is that?"

Santana lightly scratched her arm before looking back toward their coach, "Not that I usually condone such advice, and trust me I can't believe it's about to come out of my mouth, but maybe you should take Berry's advice. Maybe there's a reason for it, who knows?"

Quinn growled lightly in frustration, before turning back toward her coach and pretending to pay attention once again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Puck makes it to Columbus, he drives straight to Quinn, Santana and Britt's new house, frustrated when he finds nobody there. He tries to think about what her schedule would be for a Friday afternoon and figures she probably would be in cheer practice, or just getting out of practice judging by the time on his watch.

He heads over toward the field house where the team practices, bouquet of flowers he picked up on his way out of Lima in hand. He opens the door and steps into the practice area, noting that his guess about practice that afternoon was correct. He stands there against the doorway, rooted to the spot, and watches her, appreciating her grace as she poses in the air next to Santana.

After holding the pose for a bit, the girls start to come down and their coach signals for all of them to come together so she can speak to them. He figures this is typical toward the end of practice and feels slightly bad when he hears the coach scolding them for their lack of focus. He chuckles slightly when he sees that almost every person on the team is zoning out, chatting with one another as he watches Santana lean toward Quinn and engage in their own mini conversation.

He had been standing there for about 5 minutes when he saw a familiar blonde gaze his way and quirk her eyebrows up in surprise. He smiled at Britt who waved back at him, quickly putting her arm down and making her way toward where Santana and Quinn stood.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Even though she really wasn't paying attention to a word their coach said, Santana was startled to feel a slight tap on her shoulders, jumping a bit before glancing to her left and seeing Britt standing there beaming. She gave her a funny look but Britt signaled for her to look toward the door. She glanced back and noticed Puck standing there, holding flowers. She quickly gives him the middle finger before smiling back and turns back to the group.

She leans her head back over toward Quinn before murmuring, "So I had a new idea about how to handle your Fuckerman situation."

"Oh Lord, do I even want to know?" Quinn grumbled back.

"Well, you could just ask him what's up."

"Wow, really San?" Quinn replied sarcastically, "You make it sound as easy a walk in the damn park. I can't judge how he is feeling or what he says over the phone and last time I did, we broke up."

"Ok, Princess Sarcasm, two things. One, I think you need a cocktail to help you to calm the fuck down ASAP, and two, I was suggesting you go speak to him in person." Santana smirked. As soon as Quinn went to reply, Santana quickly silenced her, nodding her head toward the door, "I think you have a visitor."

Quinn glanced quickly at the door, seeing Puck standing there smiling at her, before quickly looking back at her friends. Britt was beaming and bouncing up and down and Santana just smirked and lightly shoved her toward the door. Quinn looked back at Puck, seeing him wave and noticing the flowers in his hand, and she can't focus on anything else. She began unconsciously walking toward him, her mouth gaping at first at the surprise of seeing him there. He starts to walk toward her too, a big smile on his face and she can't control the smile on hers as well, unbelievably excited to see him in person for the first time in three months.

She vaguely hears her coach yell at her and call her name, but she doesn't care, her walk practically turning into a run as she makes his way toward him. When she finally reaches him, she leaps into his arms and hugs him tightly, finding his lips with hers as he twirls her around. Britt begins to applaud, causing a few other people on the team to clap as well.

Their coach cleared her throat, asking if they were done so Ms. Fabray could finish hearing the important details of their upcoming events. Quinn paid no attention, continuing to kiss and hold Puck while Santana simply rolled her eyes, lowering her voice to tell their coach to back off since he was in the Army and it had been a long time since they had seen one another.

Their coach conceded, giving them a bit more time before telling them she would keep it short seeing as Quinn now had a guest. She finished discussing their upcoming schedule and excused everybody for the weekend.

Quinn introduced Puck to a few of her teammates then grabbed his hand, walking out of the building toward Puck's truck. Santana yelled for them before they could get in, "Hey, Q?"

"Yeah?"

"You're welcome." Santana replied.

"And what would I be thanking you for?" Quinn replied, somewhat anxious to hear what would come out of her friend's mouth with a reply like that.

"For the house... Britt and I are headed back to Lima for my cousin's Quincinera fiesta this weekend." Santana replied, before offering one of her trademark smirks and snarking, "But do remember you have a bedroom, so try not to have sex in my kitchen."

Quinn could feel herself turning bright red as she glanced around at some of her other teammates giggling as they walked to their cars. Puck was too quick for her though, grinning as he replied "Don't worry San, we were actually going to try out your room at some point this weekend. Hope we don't end up breaking the bed."

Santana's face fell as she took in his smirk, "Oh you better be kidding, Puckerman! So help me God!"

Quinn could hear the string of Spanish curse words being flung at them as Puck climbed into the car, starting it up before the two of them pulled out of the parking lot, Puck offering Santana the middle finger as he passed by.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

As soon as they make it inside, Puck barely had time to take in his surroundings before Quinn practically attacked him, pouncing on him and pushing him up against the door. She yanked on his shirt, throwing it off his body and across the room while he grasped the hem of her shirt, doing the same. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, Quinn jumping up into his arms and wrapping her legs around his hips, pushing herself against him.

He managed to pull away from her assault only for long enough to ask which way to the bedroom. She quirks her eyebrows at him and smirks, "Whose bedroom are you looking for?"

He chuckles, returning the smirk, "Let's christen yours first…we'll get Santana's later."

He watches her smile and nod her head in the direction of the hallway, "Last one on the right."

He pulls her back down to him and fuses their lips together once again, stumbling his way down the hall, bumping into a few walls before finding the room he wanted, tumbling onto the bed in the process. They rid themselves of the remaining clothes that separate them from one another, but just before Puck could slide home, Quinn reaches up and cups his face.

"Puck, I gotta ask you a question first."

He turns his head, gingerly kissing her palm before responding, "Shoot."

She bites her bottom lip before meeting his gaze again, "It's just, I don't want to pressure you or anything, but it just feels like you've been really distant lately."

"I'm here now," he smiles, running his fingertips along her inner thighs. He feels her shiver lightly at the touch before continuing, "definitely no distance now."

She bit her lip harder, trying to avoid letting the moan escape her throat at his ministrations, "I just mean, I know you are busy and everything, I just feel like there is this tension between us lately and –"

Puck cut her off, kissing her hard on the lips before easing into her, "Let's try to ease some of that tension, shall we," he murmured against her lips, "I promise we'll talk later."

She nodded at his promise, kissing him hard in return and clawing at his back, urging him on.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After two rounds and another one in the shower afterwards, the two of them decide to get up and get around. After they have gotten dressed, Puck tells her he has something important to talk to her about. She glanced up and saw how serious his face had become, her nerves getting the best of her as she started to worry about where this conversation was going.

Puck gave her a soft smile before taking her hand and leading her out the door. After a quick drive, they arrive at a little Italian place near campus. Before they could get out of the truck, Quinn abruptly turns toward him, asking if he would be ok with getting take-out. He looks a bit puzzled at her request but deep down he thinks it may be for the better, seeing as how he knows she may get emotional and she probably doesn't want that going down in public.

The two of them walk in and order, deciding to leave for a few minutes to run to the liquor store Puck went to the last time he was in Columbus, the clerk barely checking his military ID before letting the couple pay for their bottle of wine. They leave the liquor store and head back toward the restaurant, Quinn offering to run in and grab the order.

She had been quiet the whole trip, and the ride home was no different. She had stared out the window the whole ride, not saying much besides the one word answers to questions he would ask along the way. As soon as they got back into the house, Quinn immediately sprung into action, taking their food and putting it on plates and asking Puck if he would mind pouring the wine. Puck chuckled at her latter comment but upon seeing the seriousness in her eyes as she walked over toward where he held the bottle, grabbing it from his hands and opening it herself, swigging from the top before going back to plating the food, had him a little concerned.

She set their plates on the high-topped table in the corner of the kitchen, taking another swig of her wine before she began eating. Puck looked at her, taking her free hand in his as he looked into her eyes. "Quinn, what's up? You've barely spoken two words to me since we got out of the shower."

Quinn could feel her eyes sting but she tried to push the emotion back, swallowing her pasta and the lump that had formed in her throat before speaking. Eyes trained on the red liquid in the glass in front of her, she finally spoke, "You said we needed to talk about something serious. It's never good when someone says that."

"Q," Puck said softly, pulling her chin up to meet his gaze, "hey there."

"Wait, do I need more liquor for this? I think I may need more wine to get through this." Quinn replied, moving to stand up.

Puck grabbed her arm before she could walk off, holding her between his knees as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. "Quinn please, just hear me out, ok?"

He gently guided her back to the seat next to him, taking her hands in his as he looked up into her eyes. "I do have something serious I needed to talk to you about. I have been a little distant lately because I didn't know of a good way of going about it and I wanted to tell you in person."

Quinn shifted uneasily, trying to remain as calm as she could, waiting for the bomb to drop. Puck brought one of her hands up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles before continuing, "Last week, the commanding general of my unit called our team into the briefing room. He handed out some folders before explaining how our skills and expertise dealing with mountainous conditions are desperately needed right now." Puck paused, letting it sink in.

Quinn furrowed her brow, trying to absorb the new information. Finally, after a few seconds something finally clicked within her, causing her to look up, eyes wide in realization, "Wait, does that mean you're being – you're headed – war?" she stumbled on the last few words, waiting and hoping he would jump in and tell her this was all a big joke.

He gave her a slight nod and took a deep breath, "Yeah. My team has been selected for deployment. Honestly, considering how much we have trained recently, I am surprised it hadn't happened earlier, but here we are."

Quinn looked down at their hands, shaking her head in disbelief, "When do you leave?"

"About two weeks. Intel is desperately needed from a few of the mountainous regions so we need to move quickly. We leave Ft. Drum September 1."

"September first? So soon? But I – wait, where?"

"Afghanistan."

She looked up in his eyes, swallowing hard and gaping at him, eyes huge, "Afghanistan? September first? Please tell me this is a joke."

Puck felt his heart twist just watching her expression as she took it all in. He shook his head in the negative as soon as she asked if it was a joke, holding her hands tighter in his and leaning forward, "Quinn, I know this is a lot to take in, believe me I do. And I am so sorry to spring this on you but they only told us the middle of this past week. It was a surprise for us too."

He saw the tears start to well in her eyes and he pulled her closer, kissing her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her. She sniffled a bit into the front of his shirt, clutching at the front, "How long will you be gone for?"

He stroked her hair gently as he held her, rubbing his hand up and down her back with his free one, "Our term of duty is slated for a year."

At that she pulled away from him quickly, sending a look of panic as she all but wailed, "A year? You'll be gone for a year? What? Why?"

He pulled her back toward him, embracing her again, "That's just how it goes. It may be longer, but let's hope the Army isn't that evil. But then again, it may be shorter, depending on whether we can get in and get out with all the info needed to help the rest of the Army and Infantry to do their jobs too."

Quinn wiped away her tears quietly, praying the Army wouldn't keep him longer than a year. After standing there for several minutes holding each other, Quinn pulls back slightly from their embrace. "Are you sure it's a year?"

Puck nodded silently. Quinn nodded back at him, acknowledging she understood. "I knew I needed more wine for this conversation," she says as she turns back toward the table, grabbing her glass and taking a long draw.

Puck chuckles at the fact she still have a sense of humor, albeit small, in a situation like this. He grabs his glass too, draining the rest of the red liquid before setting it down and taking Quinn's hand again, "I'm sorry for being distant. I didn't know how else to handle this for a while. It's a lot to swallow when you first find out and there's a shit-ton of stuff you have to get sorted out before you go."

Quinn poured herself some more wine, finishing that glass too before looking back at him, "Does your mom and sister know?"

"Please don't be mad?" When Quinn quirked her eyebrow at him, Puck figured he better continue, "I told them earlier. I actually stopped by there on the way down here. I ended up spending the evening there with my family before heading to Columbus."

"Why would I be mad?" Quinn asked sweetly, "They're your family! I would hope you told them asap!"

"My mom sounded terrified when I said the word deployment and I thought I was going to die when I saw the looks on both of their faces after dinner when I explained what all it entailed and they both started crying at the same time. After talking them through our training regimen and letting them know how well trained we are, I think they realize I'm in pretty good shape to defend myself and I have my whole team backing me up. Then they really seemed ok with the fact that we could stay in contact via email and Skype while I was over there, so I think that made them feel much better."

"I was just going to ask you how people keep in touch when they're in a war zone, but I think you just covered it. Puck," she asks quietly, "I know you're really well trained and all but is it – I mean, are you scared at all?"

He looked back up into those hazel orbs, smiling as best he could given the amount of emotion swirling around in them, "I can't say that I'm not nervous. I am very well trained and I trust every guy on my team, but that doesn't mean that I'm not scared. I think something would be wrong with me if I wasn't a bit edgy and nervous. Truthfully, I think the nerves will help keep me vigilant in the field. Can't get too complacent, but yeah, I'm a little nervous." He sees her staring intently at him before asking, "What about you? How are you feeling?"

"Honestly?" He nods so she continues, "I'm scared for you. I'm nervous and worried and don't think I'll stop until you come home. I really don't quite know what to think yet, but I love you and I want you to be safe and know that you're doing ok. I'll support you in whatever, just keep yourself safe."

Puck swallows hard at her declaration that she will support him in whatever, running a hand through his short hair, "Thanks Q, that means a lot."

She pursed her lips looking like she was going to say something else but instead of letting her say whatever else she was thinking, he took that moment to lean down and kiss her, enjoying the strange mix of fruity chapstick and the rich wine he could taste on her lips. She reached up toward him, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him deeper while she ran the fingertips on her other hand up and down his arm, making her way toward his short hair on the back of his neck, gently scratching his nape.

"Anything else?" He questions against her lips as he pulls away slightly.

"Yeah," she answers, "you head out in two weeks right? And you'll be gone for a year?"

He kisses her again, nodding in the affirmative at her question. She nips gently at his lower lip before pulling back again, "Then why are we wasting our time eating and standing around in the kitchen?"

Puck smirks as he looks down at her, realizing just how much he loves her when he sees the wicked smirk spread across her face as well. "Remember," she scolds, "Santana said no sex in the kitchen."

He kissed her once again, leaning down and picking her up, heading down the hall toward the bedrooms. "How about christening Santana's room?" he suggests.

"Um, she would have a shit-fit if she found out."

"Who's gonna tell her?" He smirks, leading her into the last door on the left and collapsing on the bed.

"Not me, I don't have a death wish," she chuckled as she felt Puck's kisses move south toward her belly button before he tugged lightly on her shirt. Quinn scooted herself up, helping him pull her shirt off when she felt something sharp poking at her back. After digging around a bit, pulls out a stiletto-heeled shoe, tossing it on the ground "But it may end up being a health hazard if there is anything else hidden in this bed."

"You're probably right," Puck agreed, pulling her up and throwing her back over his shoulder. "Maybe we should stick to your room then." He carries her across the hall, setting her down on her bed before getting back to work, stripping both himself and her in record time.

"Eh, maybe we could give the kitchen a shot too," Quinn suggested playfully as Puck's lips descended down her body once more. He murmured a "mmmhmm" before continuing his trip south, nipping and licking all the sensitive places on Quinn's body. She began to moan involuntarily at the sensation, her body humming in anticipation for what the next few weeks held. Shortly thereafter, the two of them got lost in the sheets, tangled up in their own world of pleasure.

* * *

><p>The next few days had gone by in the blink of an eye. He honestly didn't know where the time went, but it seemed to go too fast when he was hanging out with Quinn. He has spent pretty much every moment with her, watching tv with her, cooking with her, sleeping with her, and even attending a few classes and practices with her, savoring every moment.<p>

He knew there was another part to their discussion about his impending deployment they needed to talk about but it was a tougher subject to broach than he initially thought it would be. The status of their relationship had been plaguing him since he left Ft. Drum and it was all he could think about, even confiding in his mother what he was thinking about doing. She told him to go with his gut and do what he felt was right, telling him she would support him but it was still a lot to swallow.

He had been waiting for the best possible moment to have that discussion with her, but he had been greedy and gotten so wrapped up in living for the moment with her he had been finding it difficult to find a good time to do it.

After spending all day with her, cooking dinner together and making love to her one night, he finds himself wide awake at 3am, staring up at the ceiling and contemplating their relationship for the umpteenth time. He glances down at the naked girl wrapped around his torso, her golden hair fanned across her back and her light breathing tickling his chest. He loves her so much it physically hurts to be away from her sometimes.

He can't predict how this deployment will be on the both of them and he has no idea what to expect, but he has already made his mind up on his course of action concerning their relationship.

Once he realizes there is no way he's going to be able to fall asleep, he gently slips out from under her arm, placing a pillow against her side instead. She snuggles into the pillow, clutching it tightly against her chest as he leans down and kisses her one last time on the forehead before walking out of the room.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Quinn shifts lightly in her sleep, feeling the sun shining through her window, warming her back. She reaches over toward Puck's side of the bed, noticing the temperature difference of the cool crisp sheets against her hand.

Her eyes flutter open quickly and scan the bed for his presence when she finally registers the soft strumming of a guitar. She sits up and glances around the room, finding Puck sitting in her chair in the corner, quietly plucking away at the strings. She pulls the sheet up around herself, turning to face him before speaking, "Hey, you're up early."

He smiles lightly back at her, continuing to pluck at the strings, "Couldn't sleep."

"Did I roll around too much?" She joked.

"Nah, you were out for the count," he chuckled back.

"I did get a pretty good workout in last night," she chided. Quinn couldn't help but notice the strange look on his face as he sat there strumming his guitar, asking "Is everything ok?"

"You are so beautiful, you know that? So peaceful and calm when you sleep, absolutely breathtaking," he murmurs.

She smiles a bit, looking down and adjusting her sheet, "Anyone ever tell you it's a bit creepy to watch people sleep?"

Puck simply smiles in return, his gaze never leaving hers.

She realizes he's in a mood, so she tries to put on her best set of bedroom eyes, pursing her lips a bit. "Baby, why don't you come back to bed?" she purrs, doing her best to try and sound sexy.

"I definitely will," he responds, "but I need to talk to you about something first."

"About what?" her curiosity perked.

"About us…about us and this deployment," he breathes out unsteadily, meeting her hazel gaze.

"Oh, um….well," she stumbles, clutching the sheet tighter around her bust as he gets up and sits back down on the bed next to her.

Puck takes a deep breath before beginning, "Quinn, I know this deployment is going to be hard on us. A year is a long time and I know it's going to be rough. I love you, Q, I really do, but the more I have thought about it, and believe me, you are the only thing I can think about, the more I have come to the determination that I can't go to Afghanistan with a girlfriend."

As soon as the statement slipped out of his mouth, Quinn's eyes went wide with shock, before she averted her gaze downwards, eyes focused on her hand fidgeting with the sheets. "Does that mean – are we not – I thought we –" she chokes out, taking a deep breath, not daring to look up at him, "I guess if that is what you want, I told you I would support you in whatever."

The pained look on Quinn's face practically breaks his heart, and Puck knows he has chosen the wrong words to express how he feels about her…again. He goes to speak, only to be cut off by Quinn, "Please, just, could you leave for a few minutes? I need to – um – I need to get dressed."

Quinn goes to move off of the bed before Puck grasps her by the arm, holding her in place, "No Quinn, wait. This is coming out all wrong. I knew I would fuck this up. Shit," he curses as he releases her arm, "I just – I suck at telling you how I feel about you. About how much I need you in my life. I've already fucked this up and I've only said like four sentences."

He glances back up, noting her confused expression but she hasn't moved from her original spot, so he continues, his gaze never leaving hers. "I have tried to think of ways for this deployment to not be as hard on both of us, but I can't think of many alternatives. Call me selfish, but I need you and I want you and while I know this is going to be tough, I don't care the cost as long as I get to come back to you." He saw the tears begin to well in her eyes once more so he continued, "So I tried to think of every way possible I could express to you how much you mean to me, but they were all either cliché or totally lame, especially the suggestions from Finn. But it was after I visited with my mom that I realized I was much better at borrowing people's lyrics to express how I feel toward you through song. It's kinda our thing at this point. So I found the perfect song for you. It's by another badass Jew by the name of Bob Dylan, and I really want you to pay attention to the lyrics, because I mean every word."

She stares at him stunned, nodding briefly. He smiles in return and begins to play.

_When the rain is blowing in your face  
>And the whole world is on your case<br>I could offer you a warm embrace  
>To make you feel my love<em>

_When the evening shadows and the stars appear  
>And there is no one there to dry your tears<br>I could hold you for a million years  
>To make you feel my love<em>

_I know you haven't made your mind up yet  
>But I would never do you wrong<br>I've known it from the moment that we met  
>No doubt in my mind where you belong<em>

She lets a wide smile crawl across her lips as she recognizes the tune, loving the fact he was still adamant about playing songs done by Jewish performers but playing them almost better than the original writers. She had always been a sucker for when he played his guitar and sang. It made all of her days exponentially brighter, listening to him play and feeling him staring directly at her, almost as if he were playing only for her. Now, here he was sitting on her bed and strumming this incredible tune just for her. She listened carefully to the words like he told her to, but couldn't help be swept up a little by the charm and romance he exuded, even when he hardly tried.

_I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue  
>I'd go crawling down the avenue<br>There's nothing that I wouldn't do  
>To make you feel my love<em>

_The storms are raging on the rollin' sea  
>And on the highway of regret<br>The winds of change are blowing wild and free  
>You ain't seen nothing like me yet<em>

_I could make you happy, make your dreams come true  
>Nothing that I wouldn't do<br>Go to the ends of the earth for you  
>To make you feel my love<em>

_To make you feel my love._

He finished strumming the last chord, propping his guitar up next to her night stand before turning back toward her. "That was absolutely beautiful, Puck." She murmured, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Puck leaned forward and wiped away her tears, "Not nearly as beautiful as you are, Q. Besides being from one of my favorite musicians, that song holds special meaning to me, and I hope you listened carefully because I meant every word."

"Puck –"

"Wait," he smiled, "let me just get this out. I've been practicing this part quite a bit and I don't want to mess up."

She smiled back at him, nodding slightly to let him continue, "That song means a lot to me because every time I hear it, I think of you. I've known it in my mind since the moment we met, that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind where you belong. I will do everything I can to make you happy and help you make your dreams come true. Quinn, you are my dream and you make me happier than I could have ever possibly fathomed I could be. I would go to all ends of the earth for you and do anything for you, just so you know and you could feel my love for you."

Quinn beams at Puck, tears falling freely as the man she loves is sitting in front of her, making declarations she never thought she would ever hear come out of his mouth. He takes her hand and kisses the back, before standing up and taking the guitar back over to the chair in the corner, setting it down before grabbing something out of the case, making his way back over to her.

He sits back down on the bed and pulls both of her hands into his, her sheet slipping a bit but not exposing her completely. He looks into her eyes softly before continuing, "Quinn Fabray, I love you with all of my heart. I have known since I was six years old that you are the girl for me and I can't envision a life without you. My job isn't the easiest gig, and I know times may get rough but you and I can get through anything together. I know we can."

He smiles, cupping her face gently, "Listen, I know I messed up earlier and said that I didn't want to go to Afghanistan with a girlfriend. That's because I don't. I want to leave knowing I have a wife waiting for me at home."

Quinn's eyes opened wide in shock, fresh tears welling in her eyes as she finally figured out where this was going. "Oh, Puck –"

Puck smiles at her reaction, pulling out the royal blue box and opening it, revealing a beautifully set diamond solitaire with two smaller diamonds flanking it, all set in platinum, "Quinn, I love you more than life itself and I would be the luckiest man in the world if you agreed to be my wife. Would you marry me Quinn?"

Quinn was crying so hard she could barely speak, vigorously nodding her head in response. Puck smiled, pleased with her reaction thus far. Now all he needed was the verbal affirmation he was looking for. "So, is that a yes?" he asked, grinning up at her.

"Yes," she squeaked, still nodding up and down, "That is a definite yes! Absolutely, yes!"

Puck took the diamond ring from the box, sliding it up her left ring finger and kissed the spot he placed it, hearing that the simple act was a sign of sealing their love for one another from Finn. It fit perfectly and she stared at the ring for all of two seconds before launching herself out from under the covers and into his arms, anxious to kiss her new fiancé.

He ran his fingers through her hair as he kissed her, letting his fingertips blaze a trail down her bare back to her waist. He pulled her closer, holding her tightly and feeling the warmth radiate off of her skin.

Quinn broke apart from the kiss, staring at her ring over his shoulder, "Puck, this is absolutely incredible. Where did you get this, and please tell me its insured."

He nipped lightly at her neck, smirking a bit before responding, "Yes it is insured, and actually, it was my grandmother's. She left it to us when she died and when I went to talk to my mom and tell her what was going on, she got it out of her drawer, handing it over and telling me to propose with this instead of a store-bought ring. My grandma was an awesome lady, and I know she would want her ring passed down to someone that I loved and someone that was equally as awesome."

"Puck, I can't take your family's ring."

"Yes you can," he stated, kissing her again, "you are my family now. It's yours and I want you to wear it as my wife."

Quinn simply nodded, incredibly touched at the sentiment contained in her ring, this kiss and their love. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Less than five minutes ago, she figured they were breaking up, the stress from the deployment too much to handle. Then five seconds ago, Puck had asked her to marry him and she was over the moon. She clutched him tightly and kissed him with all she had, letting the feeling of holding and kissing her future husband sink in a little as their lips moved against one another's seamlessly.

After a few moments, Quinn felt a slight breeze and looked down, realizing she was still naked from the previous night's activities. She broke apart the kiss and she looked up into Puck's eyes, realizing he was taking in the view.

She cleared her throat, somewhat snapping him out of his stare, "Can I just ask you one thing?"

"Anything, babe."

"Normally I would just say 'Typical Puck', but can I ask why you asked me to marry you while I was still naked? You couldn't have waited until later today when I was fully dressed."

Puck smiled, "I had been trying to wait for the perfect time but we kept getting distracted or the moment just didn't feel right. Watching you sleep this morning – you were so beautiful with the sunlight hitting you just so, and the sheet hinting at just a touch of skin but not too much – It was the perfect moment." His smile quickly turned into a smirk as he took a long look, up and down, "Plus, it would be way easier-access once you said yes. Less clothes to take off."

"Oh really?" She smiled, letting her eyebrows rise a bit, leering back at him, "Well I did say yes…and you're the one who looks a little over-dressed here."

Puck began to take off the rest of his clothes while Quinn sat on the bed, waiting for him to finish. He paused briefly to look at Quinn before continuing to strip, "Um, there is one other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

She leaned back on both hands, pushing her chest out at him, trying to distract him from all the talking. Right now she just wanted to feel her fiancé.

He had to avert his eyes a bit as to not get completely distracted and off topic at her wantonness. "I think we should get married."

Quinn chuckled a bit, "Baby, we are getting married. I just said yes when you proposed."

Puck swallowed hard, looking back up at her and smiling softly, "No, I think we should get married soon."

Quinn eyed him curiously, "How soon?"

"I was thinking Saturday."

"Saturday? As in three days, Saturday?" Quinn asked, the shock evident on her face.

"Yeah, Saturday. In three days, I want you to be my wife."

* * *

><p><em>TBC... <em>

_Sorry, this chapter got really long, so the other half will be up soon. Thanks again!_


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** _Holy crap, 90 reviews? You all kick ass! Thanks so much! Here's the next installment, it's a bit fluffy but important…at least I think so. Enjoy and let me know if you like it/hate it/or it could use work! _

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><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

_Puck swallowed hard, looking back up at her and smiling softly, "No, I think we should get married soon."_

_Quinn eyed him curiously, "How soon?"_

_"I was thinking Saturday."_

_"Saturday? As in three days, Saturday?" Quinn asked, the shock evident on her face._

_"Yeah, Saturday. In three days, I want you to be my wife."_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Saturday? You seriously want to get married in three days?" Quinn asked, incredulously. "We can't throw together a wedding in three days, Puck."

Puck stared into her eyes, slightly nervous at what was going to come next, "I know it won't exactly be your dream wedding with the big poufy dress and the big reception and the whole sha-bang, but we could do something smaller with just our friends and family for right now. Then when I get back we could have another celebration. A real wedding. I bet Kurt would be thrilled to help plan one for us."

Quinn glanced down, pulling the sheet up around her lap, biting her lip in the process. Puck continued to watch her, waiting for a reaction. When nothing came for a few moments, he spoke again, kneeling down in front of her and placing his hands on her knees, "Quinn, I know this is a lot but the silence is kinda killing me. I just want to marry you, I don't care when or where, whether it's in a courtroom with a judge or whatever, I just want you to be mine." When she continued to avoid his gaze, he continued, "Please say something."

Quinn fiddled with the sheet, bunching it in her fingers before smoothing out the creases she just made, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I want to marry you Puck, I do. But I don't get why you want to rush it and get it over with so soon." She finally looked back up at him, hazel meeting brown as she surveyed his look of concern on his face. "I have always wanted a real wedding. You know, the whole thing. I want to be able to wear the dress and walk down the aisle with everyone there and then throw a huge party afterwards just for us."

She took a deep breath, laying one of her hands on top of his, intertwining her fingers with his, "I guess - I'm just confused as to why we have to do this now. Why we can't wait a little longer and plan something instead of rushing off to some cold courtroom just to go through the motions of getting married by someone we don't even know."

Puck gingerly picked up her hand, placing a small kiss against the back before moving to sit up next to her. She rearranged the sheet up around her chest, holding it almost like a protective barrier. He saw the hint of sadness in her eyes at the mention of a courtroom ceremony and realized he probably said the wrong thing, yet again. He loved her, but he needed to get better at figuring out the "more sensitive" way about going about things.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, grateful when she leaned into his embrace, "Sweetheart, I didn't mean for it to sound like I want to rush this or that I don't care. I do care and I kinda want that wedding just like you do. I want to celebrate with everyone that is important to us, just like Finn and Rachel did."

He reached down between them, taking her hand with his free one, "I was just thinking that we could do something small for now, with just our family and friends around us. And it wouldn't have to be in a courthouse or anything like that, but something intimate, just for us, just for now. Then we can do the whole big wedding thing later."

He raises his hand, lightly caressing her cheek before grazing his lips across her temple, whispering into her ear, "I just – I mean I hoped –" he stumbled on his words, trying to articulate what he was thinking, "Q, I just want to marry you before I deploy."

At his words, Quinn lifts her head again, glancing over at him worrying his own lip as he looks back at her, a strange mixture of concern and sadness in his expression. He quirks the side of his mouth into a half smile before it finally registers with her what he is really wanting. She leans forward, kissing him gently before pulling back, "So that's the reason you want to do this so quickly? You want to get married before you deployed?" When he nodded, she asked, "What about leave? We could wait until leave."

He shook his head 'no', glancing back down at her hands in his, "There's more to this. When I got my initial deployment packet and checklist, I saw pamphlets and forms on how spouses and families should prepare for a deployment and what it may entail. It's definitely tough on everyone, but I didn't know how everything worked when someone was deployed until now."

He took a deep breath and continued, "And then I got to talking to Finn, who had been busy getting himself ready to deploy too when we got to talking about insurance and our wills and stuff and he mentioned getting everything set up with Rachel's name as his next of kin and such. It didn't mean much to me until I read through more of the forms in the packet. See, military spouses are covered under military insurance and thus are named as the beneficiary on all of the insurance policies. They also have the spouse's power of attorney and are obviously named as next of kin on a soldier's will."

At the mention of a will, Quinn froze, her eyes widening as she searches his face, "Your will? Puck?"

Puck saw the fear and confusion in her eyes, so he decides to be more blunt in giving her the details, "I'm not explaining this well, so here it goes. When I was talking to Finn, he told me he wanted to get everything set up so Rachel would be his next of kin on everything: his will, his insurance policies, his power of attorney, everything. Including –" he clears his throat roughly, "Including survivor benefits. She would be protected and taken care of if something _were_ to happen."

Quinn furrows her brow in concern, speechless as to how to respond so Puck continued explaining, "If anything were to happen to me, and I'm not saying it would, but if it did, I want you to be protected. I just want the piece of mind that you will be ok and you're going to be all taken care of." He paused, letting it sink in a bit, "But in order to do that, we have to be legally married."

Quinn still stared at him blankly, offering him a quiet "oh." Quinn sat there completely conflicted in her emotions. Part of her was ecstatic he proposed, another part of her was terrified at the thought of him having to make a will and wanting to put her in it if 'something were to happen,' and the other part of her wondered if this was a genuine proposal or if he was seeing the situation for what it was and following Finn's lead on this one.

Luckily, he calmed one of her fears when he spoke up, "Babe, I've been thinking about asking you to marry me since Finn and Rachel got engaged. I've always known I wanted and needed you in my life. This deployment just kinda expedited the process. Truthfully, I've been thinking about this for a while. I held off finalizing my will and finishing up all of my paperwork in the instance you would be ok with the idea and we could get married before I leave." He scratched his head, looking at her somewhat sheepishly, "I really didn't want to have to mention this to pressure you further or guilt-trip you into marrying me now."

Quinn chuckled a bit. She didn't know why, but she felt as though there was really no other way to react to his logic and her emotions at the same time. When he quirked an eyebrow at her, she knew she needed to say something. "So you've obviously been thinking about this for a while if you waited to hear my response before finishing everything up?"

"You have no idea how long I have been mulling everything over in my head."

She smiled, elbowing him lightly, "Humor me."

"Well, besides not finishing my paperwork up, I figured we could go back to Lima for the weekend and get married. Ohio doesn't have a waiting period on a marriage license and most states will issue you one straight out if one of the people is in the service and is about to deploy. People get married right before deployments quite often from what I have heard."

"Really?"

He smirked, "Yeah, and seeing as how we could go down to the courthouse today and apply for a license, we could get this show on the road, so to speak. I visited with Mr. Schue while I was back there, and when I told him of what I was thinking, he offered to do the wedding. Like officiate a ceremony like he did for Rachel and Finn. That way we could do it where ever we wanted to instead of going to a courthouse."

"Are you serious right now? He went online and got a certificate so he could marry them. Is that even legal?" Quinn asked, genuinely curious.

"Ohio marriage law only requires three things: a marriage license, somebody who is either ordained or licensed to perform a ceremony, and witnesses to attest to the ceremony and the signing of the marriage certificate. I already asked Finn if he would be willing to come stand as my best man and witness and I'm sure Rachel will be with him. They're coming down to see Finn's parents for a bit anyway."

Quinn stared at him dumbfounded at the words that just came out of his mouth. He really had been planning this for a while if he already had a bunch of this figured out. "Wow, you really did your research. Wait, what about the rest of our friends and family?"

"Well, if we did it in Lima our families could be there, no problem. In fact, your mom threatened me a little if we decided to go through with it and just elope and not tell anyone."

"Wait, hold on a second! My mom threatened you? How? When? How does everyone else seem to know about this plan except for me?" Quinn asked, more confused than ever at the whole situation.

Puck smiled sheepishly, running his fingertips along her arm, "I told you I went home for a day or so before I came to visit. I obviously saw my mom and told her everything, hence the ring. I also stopped in on Mr. Schue and when he asked about you, I told him what was going on and he offered to do a ceremony for us if we decided to go through with it. I also may look dumb, but I know that it's the proper thing to do for a man to ask a girl's father for his blessing to propose to his daughter." He paused briefly, offering a small smile, "But since that wasn't in the cards and his blessing doesn't matter to me, or us really, I asked the person whose blessing did matter most. Your mom."

Quinn's hand involuntarily moved to cover her mouth, tears pricking at her eyes at the gesture. She's not sure she has ever heard anything as touching as what he just told her and continues to stare at him through wet lashes.

He stares back at her, taking in her reaction to all of this and hoping those tears are happy ones as he continues, "Once I told her all of my intentions and how much I loved you, she agreed and actually hugged me. And then told me she may castrate me if we just eloped and didn't invite her." He grimaced slightly, the thought sending small shivers down his back.

"I can't believe you went through all of this trouble already," she claimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It's no trouble, you're totally worth it, and I wanted to do it right, even if it may end up being just a small ceremony." Quickly realizing he may have jumped the gun and bit, he quickly added, "But then again, if you are opposed to doing it like this, we can wait."

Quinn shook her head, a few wayward tears falling with the motion, "No."

"No what?" Puck asked tentatively, not sure if he wanted to hear the explanation.

"I don't want to wait. Let's do this now. Let's get married on Saturday." Quinn replied, smiling wide and wiping under her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she beamed, leaning it to kiss him sweetly before pulling back, "but I do want to know one other thing."

Puck leaned in and kissed her again, murmuring "hmm" against her lips.

"How many other people know about this, you know, just so I know who to call and tell them our good news."

Puck froze a bit, pulling back slightly and giving her another sheepish look. "Promise not to be mad?" he asked, waiting for her eyebrow to quirk before continuing, "Well, right you're your mom, my family and the Schuesters all know. I talked to Finn a bit about it so obviously Rachel knows and since neither one of them can keep their mouths shut, both Kurt and Mercedes know too. They all even text me earlier this week to see if I had proposed yet and were wondering if they would be coming to a wedding this weekend when they were back visiting Finn and the family."

When Quinn's eyes got wide at the confession, Puck got a little nervous, "In my defense, I hadn't said anything to Santana or Britt yet, but I'm sure they would come if we asked them to."

Her eyes continued to bore into him and he couldn't help wince slightly at her expression, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how much trouble am I in?"

She smirked slightly, glad to know she had the upper-hand at this point, "It depends, is there anything else I should know, seeing as there has been a lot of stuff to process already this morning?"

Puck playfully scratched his chin, looking down his nose at her, "Nope, I think that covered it."

She let out a laugh at his expression, shaking her head slightly as she took in the man next to her, "You do realize that in a matter of a few days you have completely turned my world upside down, right?"

He gave her a smug smile, "Besides the whole deployment news, I hope it was in a good way." He leaned forward again, caressing her cheek once more and cupping her chin before dropping a kiss on her lips.

She smiled up into the kiss. "I would say it's in a pretty good way," she murmured against his lips.

"So, are we getting married this weekend?" he asked in between kisses.

"We're getting married this weekend," she beamed, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deeper kiss.

When he went to slide her onto his lap, trying to gently remove the sheet separating them, she pulled back, swinging her legs off of the bed and trying to untangle herself from his grasp. He tried to grab her arm, pulling her back toward him and pulling the sheet off of her so he could finish what they had started a little earlier in the morning. When she pulled back again, gently pushing him away and giggling, Puck all but whined, "Baby, come on. Let's celebrate."

"Oh no you don't, Mr. Puckerman," she teased, shaking a finger at him, "If we're getting married this weekend, we have a lot to do. You said we could go get our marriage license today, so let's go. Come on," she chided.

"But babe, I promise, we can make it quick," Puck pleaded, letting his eyes roam over her body.

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p' for emphasis, "You know, the more I think about it, the more I think we should wait to have sex again until after we're married," she smirked, watching Puck's eyes widen in horror.

"You have got to be kidding me," he asked in all seriousness, "Q, that's not fair!"

"Not joking and life isn't fair," she smiled, biting her tongue in between her teeth as she teased him, "and plus, since we're doing this the unconventional way, I would like to retain some of the tradition preceding the wedding." Puck stood up, still staring at her as she started pulling her clothes back on, picking up his jeans in the process. He was still too stunned by her decision to abstain until their wedding that his face was still transfixed into a look of slight horror at the thought he wouldn't be getting any for a while.

When Quinn turned around and took in his expression, she couldn't help but laugh, smacking him on the butt as she passed by on her way to the closet, "Oh please Puck, it's only three days. You'll survive."

He jumps a little at the love-tap, trying to calm his hormones down and look away from her before he gets any more turned on, "That's a long time when I'm here with you!"

She throws a tight black t-shirt over her head and grabs her shoes, pausing slightly to toss him as smirk over her shoulder as she walks out her bedroom door, "Just think about how amazing our wedding night will be then."

Quinn continued out into the kitchen, while Puck just stood there staring at the door, trying to think of things that would help alleviate the tent in his boxers. "Tease!" he yelled out the door as he heard her start the coffee pot.

"Oh, you know you love it." She replied with a laugh.

Puck shook his head, pulling on his jeans and throwing on a shirt before sitting on the bed and tying his shoes. _Crazy woman,_ he thought, _what have I gotten myself into?_ He let a smile spread across his face before standing up and walking out into the kitchen with his future wife, ready to go down to city hall and get that marriage license and start the rest of their lives together.

* * *

><p>Puck couldn't believe how quickly time passed these days. While he wanted everything to slow down so he could savor every moment before he left, he was excited to finally make it official with Quinn later that afternoon.<p>

Once they had secured a marriage license and packed what they would need, Puck and Quinn made the trip back to Lima. They were so excited to set things in motion that they waited until they were in the car driving back to begin calling people to tell them their news, letting them know of their plans over speakerphone.

Some of the reactions they got were to be expected. Both Quinn and Puck's moms cried a bit, telling them they were so happy for the two of them. Finn congratulated them and placed his phone on speaker too at the persistence of his wife, who proceeded to scream her congratulations into the phone. Kurt and Mercedes acted in a similar manner, the screaming giving Puck a headache and he handed the phone over to Quinn to finish telling them the details as he savored the silence a bit. They then got a hold of Britt and Santana at the same time, Britt squealing something inaudible while Santana remained silent. Puck still had to laugh a little at her response.

"_Santana? You still there?" Quinn asked once Britt calmed down a bit._

"_So you're getting married on Saturday? As in this Saturday?" Santana asked calmly._

"_Yes, and we would love it if you could make it."_

"_Are you pregnant again, Tubbers?" Santana replied._

"_What? No, I'm not pregnant." Quinn retorted, taking a little offense to the question._

"_Calm down there, champ," Santana joked, "with the shotgun-nature of this thing, I was just curious but I guess I'm really happy for you kids."_

"_Thanks, I think," replied Quinn, a bit stunned at her reaction, but knowing she shouldn't be after knowing Santana her whole life. _

"_So you'll let me know all the deets so Britts and I can attend this train wreck?"_

"_Excuse me? This isn't a train wreck, it's my wedding!" Quinn replied incredulously._

"_Oh I know, and believe me I'm thrilled for you," Santana stated, "but after the ceremony, we're gonna make sure you and Pucky Puck have a hell of a party. I think we shall call the impending train wreck the 'Hot Mess Express.' What do you think?" she asked and Quinn could almost see the smirk on Santana's face through the phone. _

_Before she could answer, Puck beat her to it, "Hell yes! I'm down!" he exclaimed looking over at Quinn in the passenger seat, who stared back at him, "We're gonna have a hell of a wedding babe, don't worry."_

_Santana scoffed into the receiver, "As adorable as this love-fest is -gag- I need to go find a dress that'll make me look super-hot for your wedding." Then they heard a dial tone. Santana wasn't much for 'goodbyes', preferring to just hang up when she was done. _

_Quinn continued to stare into the phone at the abruptly ended conversation while Puck just laughed. Slowly, Quinn started to laugh too, the two of them giggling the whole way back to Lima._

They barely pulled into Quinn's driveway when they were bombarded with an onslaught of people, swarming around them and taking them their separate ways to start getting ready for the wedding. Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel took Quinn out to find a dress while Finn took Puck to see Mr. Schuester, going around town trying to find a suitable place for the ceremony.

Puck thought about it for a while and called Quinn to see if she approved of the location when he thought of the perfect place: their spot by the pond. Puck's mom and sister helped Kurt pick out some small decorative lanterns and flowers for the ceremony while Quinn's mom jumped into party planning mode, picking a restaurant located in the lobby of one of the nicest hotels in Lima and renting a space out for their little reception.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

After the whirlwind few days that followed their return, Puck found himself pacing back and forth between trees, trying to calm himself a bit before walking out to where Mr. Schuester would be waiting to start the ceremony. Finn had been trying to keep him calm, as did Taylor and Mike, who were both able to make it in for the ceremony that morning, but nothing was working. It was warm and somewhat humid but bearable outside, yet Puck felt as though he was sweating buckets through his dress uniform waiting for his cue to go out there and stand by Mr. Schue.

Once he received the signal, he made his way out of the trees, taking his place next to Finn and Mike at the front. The few other guests were all seated in a neat row close by the spot under a big oak tree Puck and Quinn had chosen to be their "alter" of sorts. He glanced around to see Burt, Carole and Kurt sitting off to the left of him, Carole sitting beside and whispering to Puck's mom and sister as they looked on. To the right of him sat Mrs. Fabray, Taylor and Tina, who made the trip with Mike earlier that day, all making small talk with Mrs. Pillsbury-Schuester.

Slowly, Puck saw movement out from the trees near where Quinn and the girls were waiting, watching Rachel slowly appear, followed by Britt and Mercedes, walking out toward him. They all took their spots off to the right and looked back to where Santana had emerged from the trees, walking toward them and winking at Puck before standing next to Mercedes.

As soon as all the girls were in their places, Mr. Schue cleared his throat and all eyes focused on the spot in the trees all of the other girls had come from. Puck saw a blur of white and couldn't tear his eyes away, afraid to blink as to not miss a second. As soon as Quinn emerged from the trees, Puck felt as though his heart stopped in his chest and he could breathe. She was absolutely stunning in her pure white, thinly strapped, flowing gown. It was simple, but it hugged her in all the right places and flowed out gracefully behind her as she walked.

Puck looked her up and down, taking her all in and imprinting the sight into his memory. He took in the dress and the grace with which she walked toward him, slowly but deliberately. He admired the incredibly toned lines of her arms and shoulders, golden blonde locks curled and cascading all around them, floating down her neck and back. He saw how wide her smile became once she saw him standing there and once he locked eyes with her he couldn't look anywhere else but into those deep green pools.

He swallowed hard, the wind nearly knocked out of him as he watched his future wife float toward him. Finn patted him on the back a few times and it seemed to relax him a bit, a huge grin spreading across his lips as she approached.

Quinn watched Puck's expression closely as she made her way toward him, taking her time as she put one foot in front of the other. She quickly glanced up to where her mom was sitting, tears in her eyes as she watched her daughter walk toward the front. She noticed Puck's mom, Carole and Kurt were all in tears too and if she wasn't mistaken, she even saw Santana brush away a tear. But she was so deliriously happy right now, she could have been hallucinating that last one.

As she made the last few steps up to where Puck stood with Mr. Schue, her eyes never left Puck's, absorbing all of the warmth and love those chocolate orbs exuded. Her heart beat rapidly as Puck reached out and took her hand, holding his smile as he led her the last few steps up to where Mr. Schue waited for them.

Quinn straightened her dress a bit and looked up at Mr. Schue, waiting for him to speak. "Noah and Quinn, where do I begin with you two?" He joked, eliciting a small laugh from the people watching. "Unlike some of the people sitting here today who have known you both your entire lives, I hadn't had the chance to meet and get to know you until your sophomore year in high school when you both chose to grace the glee club with your presence."

Mr. Schue smiled, pausing for effect before continuing his mini-sermon, "From what I understand through various stories, you both have known each other a very long time, since elementary school if I'm not mistaken, and this day has really been a long time coming. Now, even though I hadn't had the pleasure of teaching you and getting to know you both until you joined glee, I would like to count myself lucky to have met such fine young adults such as yourselves when I did."

"Granted, you both joined glee for your own reasons other than to participate in the club itself, but you both excelled and took to it and the other members rather quickly. Throughout the time I have known you, I have watched you both grow and go through some pretty heavy drama that some adults couldn't even fathom dealing with, let alone work through as 16 year olds. But you weathered the storm together, and while I know it was incredibly difficult on you both at the time and it lead to some rough patches for a while thereafter, the bond you formed was stronger than the outside factors threatening to tear you apart."

"Even these past few years, when you Quinn were attending Ohio State and you Noah were going through boot camp and the rest of your training with the Army at locations around the United States, you refused to let the separation be a factor, traveling to see one another when you could and making the effort to be there for the other. Now, you are both about to face yet another adversity with Noah being deployed. But try not to think of it as a hardship. Try not to think of it as an adversity. Take it as a challenge, a challenge to strengthen your bond through whatever communication methods you can use. A challenge to fight for each other and your love, making an effort each time you speak to tell one another that you care for each other," he said, looking toward Puck, "and you are patiently awaiting the day he returns home safely, leaving out all interjections of anger or frustration." He said, turning toward Quinn, who blushed lightly at the slight dig.

He paused again, smiling back at an attentive Puck and Quinn as they stood holding hands, focused on their former teacher and mentor, "Take it from me, marriage is hard work and it can be rough at times. Some days you may bicker and argue, maybe even asking yourself 'What did I get myself into with this person?' Marriage is never perfect but is it worth the work? Absolutely. Let me let you in on a little secret to a happy marriage," he stated, winking at his own wife before turning back to the couple, "there are six magic words you need to remember. They are: 'I am sorry' and 'I love you'." The couple in front of him giggled, leading him to continue, "It's true. Never underestimate the power of those few phrases. Oh, and just for good measure, since I know you both can be a bit stubborn at times, remember a third phrase. 'I was wrong.' That one is equally important."

Puck and Quinn snickered at one another again, glancing from one another to Santana when the Latina let out a snort in response. The group chuckled at the girl, who shot glares at the people who were laughing at her before Mr. Schue continued, "Ok, so before we get to your vows, I did want to leave you with one parting message. I think it is safe to say everyone here loves music, and while I promise I wont sing or be rapping at all during this, I heard a great message for lasting happiness while listening to a country song, surprisingly enough. In the words of musician Lee Brice, always remember to 'Be a best friend, tell the truth and over-use I love you. Go to work, do your best and don't outsmart your common sense. Never let your praying knees get lazy. And love like crazy.' Never forget to love like crazy."

After he had finished giving his advice, Mr. Schue asked Quinn and Puck to repeat their vows after him. Once he had spoken, it was Puck's turn to go first. He turned toward Quinn, taking her other hand in his and cleared his throat. "Quinn Fabray, I take thee to be my lawfully wedded wife." Puck repeated softly, taking a moment to clear his throat again and compose himself, his emotions getting the better of him as he started to get a bit choked up. "I stand here in front of you promising to love you for richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Through the good times and the bad. In happiness and in sadness, I will love you forever."

Puck had never been a really emotional guy, the only exceptions being the birth of their daughter and when he saw and danced with her at Rachel and Finn's wedding. Otherwise, he tended to try and suck it up, pushing away all the other emotions so he could try and remain as manly and neutral as he could. But this, standing here with the love of his life on their wedding definitely fell into the exceptions category.

Quinn watched as Puck recited their vows and seeing him get a little overcome with emotions when he spoke made the already emotional Quinn almost lose it when he had to stop to collect himself. She had seen this side of him only a handful of times and there is just something about watching a normally strong guy get choked up that really gets her. Her throat starts constricting a bit as she feels the tears rising to the surface, trying to fight them off by telling herself to breathe through it.

But as soon as it's her turn, it's of no use. She goes to repeat the same vows back to Puck, having to pause before even beginning to try and get through even the first few words. "Noah Puckerman, I take thee to – to be my lawfully wedded husband." She swallows as a tear escapes down her cheek, "I stand here in front of you promising to love you for richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Through the good times and the bad. In happiness and in sadness – " she stopped again, smiling as Puck reached up and wiped another tear away, "I will love you forever."

"Now, if I could have the rings please?" Mr. Schue asked, turning toward Finn, who pulled the simple platinum band out of his pocket and placing it into his palm, turning next to Santana, who, very ladylike, reached down the front of her dress and pulled Puck's onyx-colored titanium ring out of her bra, handing it over to Mr. Schue.

Quinn looked over her shoulder at her friend, raising an eyebrow in question while Puck and the rest of the guests snorted, "What?" she asked incredulously, readjusting the bust of her dress, "It's not like I have any pockets in this thing!"

"Typical." Puck murmured and Quinn rolled her eyes as everyone started to giggle.

After the chuckling died down, Mr. Schue proceeded, "Now take the rings and repeat after me…again."

Puck went first again, repeating the words Mr. Schue said, "Quinn, take this as a symbol of my love and fidelity to you. With this ring, I promise to honor and to cherish you for all the days of my life. Just as this circle has no end, neither shall my love for you. With all that I am, with all that I have, I choose you to by my wife from this day and forevermore."

Puck slid the band onto Quinn's finger, smiling and twisting a bit as it stuck on one of her knuckles for a moment before fitting into place next to her engagement ring.

Quinn beamed back at him, taking the band she bought for him and reciting the same vow, "Puck, take this as a symbol of my love and fidelity to you. With this ring, I promise to honor and to cherish you for all the days of my life. Just as this circle has no end, neither shall my love for you. With all that I am and all that I have, I choose you to by my husband from this day and forevermore."

Mr. Schue leaned forward slightly, murmuring "Relax guys, the hard part is over," as he smiled back at the duo. "Now, Quinn and Puck, since I know how much you like being called Noah, you both have come before your friends and family and declared your love for one another. You have promised to love, honor and cherish each other for the rest of your lives. So, without further ado, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Puck didn't have to be told twice as he lifted his hand to Quinn's cheek, caressing it lightly before placing his fingers behind her nape, pulling her in closely and molding her lips to his, letting them slid and explore against one another. Quinn mewled softly into the kiss, her tongue sneaking out and meeting his in the middle for the briefest moment, before they both pulled away, moving in once again for another quick peck. They turned toward their friends and Mr. Schue announced the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Noah and Quinn Puckerman, the couple kissing once again for good measure before moving to hug and shake hands with their friends and family.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Once the crew had all taken their fair share of pictures, the entourage moved to the restaurant Quinn's mom had reserved. Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel, Britt, Tina and Mrs. Fabray all had helped decorate with colorful plants, candles and tablecloths, making the room feel cozy and intimate. The candlelight flickered off of the walls and tapestries, illuminating the room in a soft white light, creating the most romantic ambiance possible in the small room.

While it wasn't the huge reception Quinn had originally envisioned, for her, sitting here in this room surrounded by all of the most important and beloved people in her life, this was truly a perfect way to celebrate their wedding. The intimate setting allowed everyone to sit close to one another, eating and drinking and being generally merry while telling stories and reminiscing with one another, enjoying the company.

As if there hadn't been enough surprises to last a lifetime that week, the newlyweds were both shocked to see Shelby Corcoran walk through the double doors into the reception room, little blonde Beth holding her hand as they walked in. The room went silent for a moment until Quinn's mom and Rachel stood up to greet the new guests, showing Shelby to her seat while the woman apologized for being late, explaining how Beth had been hell-bent on wearing the prettiest dress in her closet to the occasion then trying to match it with a pair of Converse All-Stars instead of the pretty sandals that went with the outfit.

Once Shelby had sat down and began socializing with Mrs. Puckerman, Mrs. Fabray and Carole Hudson-Hummel, the blonde four year old rounded the table, making her way toward Quinn and Puck and hugging each of them tightly before clambering up onto Quinn's lap. The rest of the table had grown quiet, watching the parents interact with Beth for a bit before resuming their previous conversations, Kurt snapping a few pics of Quinn, Beth and Puck in the process.

While Puck and Quinn weren't exactly sure if Beth knew who they were to her besides her friends, they were over-the-moon that the little girl still recognized them and was still warm and loving toward them. It made them feel good knowing that she was in a good place with someone who could take care of her properly, but validating to know she hadn't completely forgotten about them. As Quinn sat and chatted with their daughter while Puck looked on, both kept meeting each other's glances and sending a few grateful looks Shelby's way, thankful that the woman was as open to letting them see Beth as she had been.

After spending the better part of the night socializing, eating, drinking and even dancing when a good song came on, Shelby excused herself to take the now sleeping Beth home. She had passed out on Quinn's lap and the two parents anxiously agreed to help take her out to the car with Shelby. After kissing her sweet cheeks and buckling her in tight, they said their thank you's and goodbyes, parting with a wave as she drove off.

It had been amazing to find out that Quinn's mom had Rachel contact and invite Shelby and Beth to come and share their special day with them, allowing the couple to spend time with their little girl. It always made them feel a bit bittersweet to know they were together and going to spend the rest of their lives together and maybe could have made it work, keeping her and raising her as a family. But they knew they had been in no shape to handle that a few years back, or even really now for that matter, feeling as though they had made the right decision in the end, even though it pained them to watch her leave and drive off with someone else who was now her legal parent. They held each other's hands as they walked back into the party, chatting about how lovely and low key the night had been thus far.

What they didn't expect was the sight they got when they walked back into the restaurant. In their absence, somebody (who they had a sneaking suspicion was none other than a Ms. Santana Lopez) decided to get the party started, turning on the tunes while talking the wait staff into bringing out several more rounds of alcohol.

After a round or two and some dancing, Finn and Santana decided it was time to toast Quinn and Puck. For being terrible with words, Finn offering a pretty heartfelt speech as he raised his shot glass and downed it after saluting the couple. Santana, on the other hand, had a few drinks in the short time the couple had taken their daughter outside, so her speech was a little less warm and fuzzy and a little more "Santana." She took a few digs at each person while throwing in some of her trademark sarcasm, her quips causing Burt Hummel and a few other people to almost double over in laughter. Once she finished roasting the couple, she finally offered a genuine one sentence toast, walking around the room and making sure to clink glasses with every person there before shooting her tequila back and shouting "ay-yay-yay-yay" to the room. A few other people ended up giving toasts as well, causing the whole room to go around and tell a story or a memory of the pair before raising their glasses in a final toast to the bride and groom.

Everyone got in on the late night fun, including both the bride and the groom's mothers. Judy Fabray had a few glasses of wine and so had Mrs. Puckerman, to the point where both in-laws were laughing raucously with Carole and Mrs. Pillsbury-Schuester in a corner. Puck and Quinn were almost afraid to ask what they were talking about, but they barely had time to even think about it, getting pulled into a group rendition of 'Sweet Caroline' that had just started playing over the speakers. They danced and sang along with all the other songs they heard, laughing and joking around into the wee hours of the morning.

Once the clock struck 1am, the parent's decided it was time to call it an evening, offering to leave the kids to close the place down if they wanted. Pretty well worn out from all of the day's events, the group sat around and finished their drinks and cake for another half an hour before everyone started to get up and gather their things, saying their goodbyes and well-wishes to the bride and groom before heading out for the night.

Britt, Santana, Finn and Rachel were among the last to leave. The blonde dancer kissed both Puck and Quinn on the cheek before almost strangling the two of them in a joined bear hug before stumbling off to wait for Santana. Rachel hugged the duo goodbye as well, winking at Quinn and telling her to enjoy her wedding night as she went to wait with Britt. Finn ended up repaying the favor, shoving a handful of condoms into Puck's jacket pocket as he gave him a man-hug, telling him to "Do Work" in return, while Santana did her usual Santana-sign-of-affection and smacked the two of them on the ass, telling them to try not to get pregnant again before tossing a smirk over her shoulder as she walked out.

Puck slung his dress uniform jacket over his shoulder and snaked his arm around Quinn's lower back, pulling his new wife closer into his embrace as he led her through the lobby toward a set of silver elevator doors. As they waited for the lift to arrive to take them up to their floor and the suite Puck had splurged on for the next few nights, Quinn leaned up on her tip-toes, gently pressing her lips against Puck's neck, earning a soft groan from the man.

He looked back down at her, not missing the hints of mischief and lust swirling in the hazel pools. As soon as the doors opened, Puck ushered her in quickly, tapping their floor button before repeatedly pressing the 'door close' button. Once it slid closed and the elevator began to ascend, Puck attached his lips to Quinn's neck, nipping past the crook of her shoulder and up to the sensitive flesh just below her ear lobe.

Quinn responded in kind, turning into his touch and feeling her body tingle in anticipation. He gently suckled on her earlobe, eliciting a small moan from the back of her throat, "Mmmm, Puck. I told you it would be worth the wait."

Puck smirked against her ear, thinking about the advice Mr. Schue said during their ceremony for a moment before continuing his descent down her neck, "I was wrong. I am sorry. I love you." He repeated, smiling against her skin as he heard her start to laugh at the memory.

Quinn turned her head to the side quickly, catching his lips in hers and wrapping her arms around his neck, nipping on his lower lip, "Today was perfect, Puck. Thank you."

He pulled back slightly, murmuring "Thank you? For what?"

"For asking me to marry you. For marrying me. For thinking up this whole day. It was truly incredible."

"No, you my dear, are incredible. And I barely did anything. I should be thanking you for agreeing to put up with my shit for the rest of our lives."

"It'll be my pleasure," she smirked, meeting his lips again.

The lift stopped and Puck pulled back, retreating just enough to pick Quinn up bridal style and walk to their room, slipping the key card into the slot before pushing the door open, "Oh, believe you me, the pleasure will definitely be both of ours here in about 5 minutes. I think Finny Boy hooked us up for at least the next day or so."

"I knew I liked him for a reason," Quinn joked, pulling him back into a kiss as he set her back down to stand. "We got condoms from Finn and spanked by Santana. We have strange yet wonderful friends."

"Mmm, that we do," Puck mumbled as he reattached his lips to her neck, making his way around the back to unzip her dress, "Speaking of which, what is up with Santana smacking people's asses. She's the strangest one in the whole group, if you ask me."

Quinn shivered as she felt him slide the zipper down her back, lightly caressing the skin with his fingertips as he began to unwrap her from her dress like she was a present. "I think it's just her way of showing affection, even if it's slightly painful at times, especially if you're wearing spandex shorts. But it's Santana, I stopped trying to understand her ways a few years ago," she answered, making quick work of unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off of his shoulders, leaning forward and kissing his chest as she went to work on his belt and pants.

Once they had rid themselves of the remaining articles of clothing, Puck picked Quinn back up and placed her on the bed, kissing her and readying himself to make love to his wife for the first time. Quinn's body was humming with arousal as Puck took his place above her, "And just think, we have this incredible suite and this massive bed all to ourselves for the next few days. What shall we do?" she teased lightly.

"Oh you should see the bathroom. The tub and the shower are definitely getting used while we're here," he smirked, leaning down and kissing her.

The slow touches and caresses became more urgent, both slightly sexually frustrated from spending the past few days apart, the pair basking in their new relationship status as they enjoyed each other as man and wife for the first time…and the second…and the third.

_Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Next stop: Afghanistan. Eek!_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N:**__ Thank you all so much for your support! Your reviews are awesome! I hope you like this chapter too! A few things: First, this chapter spans a decent chunk of time. I marked where and how much time had passed, but just a heads up. And second, I will warn you beforehand that this chapter is a bit more on the 'M' side. Its war & war's not pretty._

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><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

The two newlyweds spent the next few days holed up in their hotel suite, enjoying a blissful "stay-cation" of a honeymoon, content with just surrounding themselves with one another. They lounged around, ordering room service and even visited the spa for a massage, preferring to stay cooped up in their little world for as long as they were able to, simply savoring one another and trying to fend off the reality of Puck's inevitable departure for as long as they were able to.

While they only had a few days to themselves before they were to head back to New York with Puck's family and the rest of the Hudson-Hummel family, they made sure not to waste any precious time, taking every opportunity to touch, taste and enjoy each other as much as possible. Their leisurely exploration left them both sore and sated, yet they felt like they couldn't get enough of one another, trying to imprint the feeling of being with each other in their minds so the memory could tide them over until Puck returned.

The last morning of their stay found Quinn and Puck tangled in the sheets, clothing strewn haphazardly around the room. Quinn had awoken before Puck for the first time since he had been back home, using the time to take in the man in front of her, appreciating her husband's chiseled yet gentle physique. The sun was filtering softly through the curtains as she watched the tiny dust motes flitter all around them, settling effortlessly on his chest.

She gently traced the lines of his chest, brushing the ridges of his pecs and abs with her fingertips before traveling upwards to trace his collarbones and trailing down his arm to caress his forearm and bicep. She stopped her journey at his tattoo, placing a soft kiss against his arm while she continued her ministrations up to his face.

She traced the outlines of his features: his stubble on his jaw and chin, his tanned cheekbones, his nose he loved to nuzzle into her hair causing an instant shiver to run down her spine whenever he did that, and that perfect pout with those soft gentle lips that hid his dazzling smile and deliciously incredible tongue. Just thinking back to what he could do with that tongue, that mouth and that body made her all sorts of hot, wishing he would wake up and help her alleviate the tension slowly building in her lower stomach yet perfectly content savoring the view of him sleeping peacefully in front of her.

She bent down and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, Puck's mouth upturning in a lazy smile as she pulled back. "Good morning beautiful."

"Mmm, good morning to you too," she mumbled against his lips.

He opens his eyes, taking one of her palms into his hand and kissing the back, pulling her arm over him so he could flip on top. He trails kisses all up and down her body, tracing the lines of her shoulders and neck before skimming his fingertips across her breast, continuing down the planes of her stomach. He grasps her hip and pulls her closer to him, kissing her hard and drawing her into him.

After lazily making out for a while longer, the duo take a nice long shower before making their way back out into the suite, picking up their crumpled clothes off of the floor and packing their suitcases before getting ready for the day. They checked out of their hotel and loaded up Puck's truck with their bags, sidling into the seats before Puck turned to her, "So, after we go get your updated driver's license with your new last name on it, do you mind if I make a stop on the way back to your mom's place?"

"Not really. What for?"

"Well, there's something I want to get before we have to leave for New York tomorrow afternoon."

Quinn eyed him carefully after seeing the playful smirk on his face, "What is this thing you want to get?"

He smiled before turning the key in the ignition, pulling his sunglasses on and putting the truck into reverse, "You'll see."

She stared at him for a few more moments before sliding her sunglasses onto her face, "Oh, wonderful…a surprise," she added sarcastically as they pulled out of the lot.

The trip to the DMV was surprisingly quick, the line was relatively short and the employees simply glanced over Quinn's old license and their marriage certificate before allowing her to take a new picture and replace her maiden name with her new married last name. In 7-10 days when they sent her the new license, she would be able to officially show everyone she was now "Mrs. Quinn Puckerman."

They hopped back into the truck and less than ten minutes later, Puck pulled up to the curb and parked in front of the tattoo parlor in town, turning the car off and telling Quinn they were there. Quinn glanced up at the sign on the building, "No way, Puck! You have got to be kidding me!"

"Just come on, it's not what you think." He said, walking around to open her door, "Well, it probably is what you think, but still, just come on."

Quinn hesitantly slid out of her seat, taking his hand as they strode through the front door of the shop. Puck approached the counter where a giant hulk of a man stood, flipping through a magazine before asking "What can I do for ya?"

"I'm here to get another tattoo, sir" Puck answered.

Quinn cut in, "No, no he's not. One is good enough."

The tattoo artist just chuckled and shook his head. Puck rolled his eyes, muttering "women" under his breath as Quinn crossed her arms and glared at him.

The man behind the counter simply smiled, turning his attention back to Puck, "What were you thinking and where do you want it.

Puck took his left hand out of his pocket, fidgeting with his wedding band before twisting it off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Quinn's eyes widen and her jaw set, waiting to hear what he had to say. He placed his ring on the counter before he began to explain what he wanted.

"I would like a band around my ring finger the same width as my ring. Just a solid band that would wrap from the inside of my finger and around to the other side, leaving a space on the top side where I want the name "Quinn" to be written in some type of lettering," Puck said, pointing at the outside of his finger just next to the knuckle, outlining where he wanted her name to go.

Quinn's arms fell to her sides as she leaned over to see where he was pointing at. The tattoo artist, whose name turned out to be Randy, said it wouldn't be a problem and then handed a book of letting options to Puck to pick out how he wanted Quinn's name to appear on his finger. He chose a simple scroll lettering that would allow her name to be perfectly legible yet still look fairly classy.

Randy escorted Puck back to an empty chair, Quinn trailing behind the men. Puck held out his hand and Randy began to trace the design for the tattoo ring onto Puck's finger, holding it up for Puck's approval before getting the go-ahead to begin the actual tattoo. Quinn remained silent during the whole exchange until the buzz of the needle started.

"So, explain to me why I even bothered getting you a ring if you were just going to get a tattoo anyway?"

He smiled over at her as Randy perked up a little, intently listening to the exchange between the couple. "Because I kinda have to."

"That is probably the worst answer I have ever heard."

"No, just listen ok. I got to thinking a bit the other night when we were in the shower." Quinn felt her face flush at the mention of their joint shower, causing Randy to chuckle a bit while he continued to tattoo Puck's finger. "Every time I went to move my hand or do anything," he waggled his eyebrows, causing Quinn's face to flush an even deeper shade of red, "I noticed the shine of the light off of the ring's surface."

"So?" Quinn retorted, confused as to where this was all going.

"I kept noticing the glare every time the light hit it, regardless of what I was doing or whether it was the sun or just the light from the lamp."

"Ok?" Quinn asked, still confused.

Puck laughed and pulled the ring out of his right pocket, holding it up and moving it around a bit so Quinn could see the shine emanating off of it, "I didn't think about it until the other day, but just imagine what would happen if we were on patrol or doing recon out there in the desert and the light hit the ring. The shine would give away our position unless it was constantly covered up. I realized that's why we and a lot of other Special Forces guys are not allowed to wear any other type of "jewelry" besides our dog tags."

Quinn sat there and thought about it for a bit, nodding her head in understanding when he put it like that.

Puck held his ring out for Quinn to take and hang on to while Randy finished up. "I didn't want to have to take it off or leave it off during my whole deployment and not have anything signifying that we were married. I promise I will put it on whenever we have some down time," he quickly added, rambling a bit, "and while I know you're not the biggest fan of tattoos, I feel this one is fully justified. This way, there will never be a question as to if I am married and who I am married to," he finished, grinning back at her.

While Quinn wasn't the biggest fan of tattoos, she had to admit his Ranger tattoo was pretty hot, and the idea of him having a permanent reminder of their marriage was a very sweet idea. She nodded and smiled, leaning forward to brush a quick kiss across his lips.

Randy cleared his throat and the pair broke apart, the artist asking "So, how long you been married?"

"Four whole days," Quinn replied, smiling at the man and grasping Puck's right hand as the man twisted Puck's wrist so his hand was palm side up, going to work on the underside of the band.

"Well, congratulations kids."

"Thanks," Puck replied, "And thanks for getting us in so soon."

"Not a problem. It's not like we have a mad rush of people wanting to get inked at 10am on a Tuesday morning." Randy joked, "So did I hear that correctly? Are you in the service?"

"Yes sir," Puck responded, "10th Mountain Division Special Troops Unit, United States Army."

"Wow, that's quite impressive son."

"Thank you, sir. I'm actually deploying next week." Puck replied, feeling Quinn tighten her grip on his hand at the mention of him leaving.

"You know where you're going?"

"Yes sir. Afghanistan, sir."

"Afghanistan, eh? I was in the Marine Corps myself for a while. Saw some action over in the gulf a few years back."

"Oh really? Well, thank you for your service, Marine."

"No, thank you for yours, Soldier. Be safe," the older man stated as he put the finishing touches on the '_Quinn_' lettering, "and come back to your lovely wife here soon."

"Thank you, I will sir," Puck replied, giving Quinn's hand a gentle squeeze as he stood up to leave. He put a bandage around the fresh ink and told Puck it would take a few days to fully heal before they began to walk up to the counter.

"How much do I owe you," Puck asked as he pulled his wallet from his pocket.

"It's on the house," Randy replied shaking his head, "Your money's no good here. Now go kick some terrorist ass."

Puck chuckled, holding out his hand to shake Randy's, thanking him for the tattoo and telling him not to worry, kicking ass and taking names was his objective over there. They said their goodbyes and departed the store, heading toward Quinn's mother's home where they would stay for the remainder of their time together.

* * *

><p>The duo spent as much time as possible together, appreciating the fact that they were together and enjoying their new status as best they could. As the days passed, they were inseparable and their need for one another intensified, their desire to memorize everything about one another taking precedent over everything else around them. They knew their time together was drawing to a close, so they made every moment count, cherishing their time with Puck's family and with one another.<p>

At the end of the week, the Puckerman family all piled into the car and drove to the airport, boarding the same plane as the Hudson-Hummels and strapped in for the hour and a half ride to the Syracuse airport. Quinn wrapped her arms around one of Pucks, nuzzling her face into his shoulder and holding him throughout the whole trip, the two talking about everything and anything along the way. They joked around and teased each other, Quinn flat out refusing to go join the 'Mile High Club' with Puck when he suggested it.

Once they landed, they picked up their rental cars and Rachel's car from the lots and headed toward Ft. Drum. Once they arrived near the base, Finn and Puck's families all checked into a nearby hotel and hung out while Puck and Quinn made an appointment to see one of the base JAG officers, the military lawyers they would need to help finalize Puck's legal matters.

They arranged to meet with a young Captain, who walked them both through the necessary paperwork and acted as a witness when Puck was finalizing his will that would be kept on file on base. By the time they were finished an hour and a half later, Quinn was officially recognized as his wife and next of kin on all of his insurance policies and his will and held his durable power of attorney if anything were to happen while he was away. They shook the man's hand and thanked him for his time before leaving the office to go back to the hotel.

Puck and Finn spent their last night in the United States surrounded by all of their loved ones. Kurt had taken the train up from NYC and met them at the hotel where he, Rachel, Quinn, Puck's mom and sister and Finn's mother and Burt all gathered to wish the boys well and to send them off properly. They went out for a nice dinner and hung out in Mr. and Mrs. Hudson-Hummel's room for a while, talking and telling stories, trying to keep the mood light. After a while, they all started to go their separate ways, retiring to their rooms for the evening.

Kurt had helped Finn go all out for this evening, surprising Rachel with flower pedals all over the bed and the works for their last night together; whereas Puck and Quinn kept it simple. He lit a few candles and placed them around the room when Quinn was in the bathroom, the wicks flickering and casting shadows that danced across the walls. Once he was finished, he sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Quinn.

As she stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom brushing her teeth, Quinn was hit with a sudden wave of sadness, realizing this was their last night they would get to be together for a year. Trying to combat the emotion and the tears that threatened to flow, she took a few deep breaths, holding onto the counter for support. When the feeling had subsided and the lump in her throat was gone, she took one last look at herself and smoothed out a strap before opening the door.

Puck felt like he had the wind knocked out of him as he watched Quinn walk out of the bathroom in nothing but lingerie: a red bra and matching panties set complete with black high heels. His breath stalled in his chest as he rose to his feet, mouth hanging open as she walked toward him.

No words were exchanged as they slowly helped undress one another, the only sounds in the room were the various moans, groans and whimpers that were elicited from the joining of their bodies. They took their time loving one another, savoring the moment. Their bodies trembled with pleasure as they reached their high together, falling into one another's arms and holding each other close.

Lips brushed across bare skin and words of love were whispered before they drifted off to sleep, never leaving the other's embrace.

* * *

><p><em>September 1<em>_st__ – D-Day (Deployment Day)_

The morning came far too soon and Quinn sat on the edge of the bed watching as Puck pulled on his fatigues and adjusted all of his patches and insignia so they would be perfectly straight. Once he finished he gave her a half smile before extending his hand, the duo gathering their belongings and heading out to the car.

Once on base, the men were supposed to join up with their team members before all gathering with the other units that were deploying at the same time. When the clock struck noon, the men were notified that it was time to depart.

Puck looked over at his family, walking up to his sister first and hugging her goodbye, making her promise to help their mom and to stay in touch. He made his way to his mother, who told him to be safe and that she was proud of him and loved him, wrapping him in a tight hug before pulling back and wiping away her tears. Puck then looked over to where Quinn stood, her hands clasped in front of her and her eyes trained at the floor.

He closed in on her, raking his fingers through her hair and stopping his movement at the base of her neck. Quinn looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you so much, Quinn. I know this is going to be tough but we're gonna make it through this, I swear," he murmured against her temple. "I promise I will talk to you or email as often as I can."

Quinn nodded her head as the tears rolled down her cheeks, dropping lightly onto his crisp uniform, "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Me too sweetheart, me too," Puck stressed, "but you'll be able to keep yourself busy, going back to school and working hard, earning all of those good grades like the brainiac you are. It will all fly by quickly, I promise."

"It better," she whimpered as she pulled him down for a kiss, "I love you."

"And I love you," he mumbled against her lips. They drew their kiss out for as long as possible until the commanding officer notified the crowd it was time to go.

She embraced him one more time, giving him one last kiss before breaking apart, Puck picking up his duffle and turning, preparing to leave.

"Hey," Quinn cried out as he began to walk away. Puck turned around and met her gaze, "Come back to me, Puckerman," she stated, smiling at him.

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away," he smiled back, mouthing 'I love you' and seeing her return the gesture before he walked up and joined his unit. They were called to attention then dismissed out to the busses that would take them to their transport planes to make the 7000 mile trip to Afghanistan.

Rachel and Quinn stood there side by side and waved, watching their husbands wave back as the bus pulled away from the building and drove out of sight.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Since Rachel had her car with her, Quinn volunteered to ride back to the city with her, parting ways with the Hudson-Hummels and the Puckermans after they made it off base. The girls stopped for gas at a station near one of the gates when a white SUV pulled up along side of them, a woman rolling down her window to speak to them.

"You girls just leaving the base?" The woman asked.

When Rachel responded that they did, the woman continued, "I thought I saw you gals in there. You ladies there to drop off your brothers or your boyfriends?"

Quinn spoke up, "Actually, we just dropped off our husbands."

"Oh, husbands! Wow, you girls look very young to be married already but I guess it comes with the turf when you marry into the military." The lady smiled at the girls, "I married my husband when we were nineteen so I completely understand."

The woman put her SUV in park and climbed out, walking up to the girls and extending her hand, "I'm Sarah Wilson. My husband Scott was just deployed too. He is stationed with the 174th Infantry Brigade here at Fort Drum."

Rachel extended her hand first, "My name is Rachel Hudson and this is Quinn Fabray. Our husbands were just deployed with the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Special Troops Battalion."

Quinn extended her hand in greeting, "Quinn Puckerman, it's nice to meet you."

Rachel winced a bit, apologizing "Sorry, I'm not used to calling you 'Puckerman' yet." She turned to Mrs. Wilson, pointing at Quinn, "My friend just got married this past week so I'm not quite used to the name change yet."

Mrs. Wilson smiled and took Quinn's hand, "Congratulations and it's a pleasure meeting you both. Say, are you all headed to the Spouses and Families group this afternoon?"

Quinn looked over at Rachel, the girls shaking their heads in the negative. Mrs. Wilson continued, "Oh well, if you're interested, the Fort Drum Military Families Support Group is meeting at the diner next to the VA hospital down the road. It's just a little introductory meeting where we'll have a speaker or two discussing what a deployment is like for the families when their spouse or parent is deployed overseas and try to brainstorm ideas of things we could send over to the troops to make sure they're comfortable and that we're thinking about them while they're gone."

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Rachel replied, "Would you mind if we followed you there?"

"Not at all! We'll chat a bit more when we get there." With that, Mrs. Wilson climbed back into her SUV and started down the road, the girls following behind.

Once they arrive at the restaurant, Mrs. Wilson begins to introduce them around to some other women, all in the same position they are in and all with husbands or boyfriends who just deployed. They learn that some of the men are serving in their first tour while others just embarked on their second or third deployment.

The girls settle in and listen to the speakers, taking mental notes of what they are all saying. Each of the speakers admit that it will be a difficult time, but they do offer hope. They explain how to help deal with the distance and how there is a huge support network across the country at all bases, including Fort Drum. These support systems are in place to help families and soldiers deal with the stresses of the job and deployments and how military life can drive a wedge into a relationship, but they explained ways to deal with that through communication and the support of their fellow "Army Wives."

Quinn begins to chuckle a bit, cracking the first smile since the previous night when she begins to think this is all sounding like a Lifetime Network show or made for TV movie, but unfortunately, none of this is scripted and this is actually her real life.

After hanging around the diner for a while, chatting with the women and getting to know everybody a bit better, the girls hop back in their cars and head back toward the highway to make the three hour drive back to NYC. The ride is filled with conversation, Rachel and Quinn discussing what they heard and what they learned, and while they both admit that they are scared and will miss their men terribly, they both feel a bit better knowing that they are not alone in this and that they will have a lot of support during this tough time.

As they roll into the city, Quinn stares out the window reflecting on everything that had happened over the last week. Some of the women she met that day had families, leaving them to hold down the fort and take care of the kids by themselves while their husbands were fighting overseas. She couldn't fathom being in that position, but she was incredibly impressed with the strength and grace with which the women were coping and handling the situation. She would need all of the strength she had to make it through this, she thought as they made their way into the city.

* * *

><p>When the men first touched down in Afghanistan, they were shown to their quarters and instructed to get used to the conditions since that is where they would live for the next several months. Puck was set to share a barracks style trailer with Finn, Tex, and Vargas while Hunt and Lt. Parker shared a trailer next to them, the higher ranking men granted more space than the guys who were a little lower on the totem pole. They were assigned their traditional day-to-day duty stations and met with their commanding officer there on base, who gave a brief overview of their mission objectives and launched into the tactical components of fighting a guerilla war in the mountains.<p>

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. While it seemed like the days had a tendency to drag on forever at times, other times the weeks seemed to fly, the men never really getting a whole lot of down time in between missions. The Army kept their unit pretty busy, having them patrol the nearby towns or go on various intelligence-gathering missions and reconnaissance explorations quite frequently.

Even though they were seemingly busy all the time, Puck utilized his down time as best he could, emailing or talking with his family and utilizing Skype to communicate face to face with his mother and sister or Quinn. He was able to take a small part in his family's Hanukkah celebration via webcam and spent Christmas morning Skyping with Quinn and her family.

Quinn had kept him updated on her semester, earning straight A's and taking third place at the collegiate cheer competition in December. He filled her in on the day to day stuff he could tell her as well, without breaking confidentiality. He left out some of the more dangerous details of some of the missions he had been on and felt that it was better if she didn't know how many times he had been shot at and had to return fire, thinking it may freak her out too much.

They talked whenever they could, Quinn smiling every time her eye caught sight of the tattoo on his left finger. He explained how a bunch of guys he had met over there were a bit jealous of his tattoo, all thinking they should have done the same thing instead of leaving their rings at home or in their barracks. She felt special knowing that her name was permanently etched onto his skin and that she would be a part of him forever.

As time passed, the missions got a bit more stressful and heavy as the insurgents in the area began to take up positions to fire their weapons at the soldiers, many requiring the men to fire back or use heavy artillery to suppress terrorist attacks. In the very least, Puck's team could get into an area to do a little recon work, praying they could go undetected for as long as possible as to avoid having to fight their way out of a situation.

He definitely was an adrenaline junkie, he would be the first to admit it, but he was not a huge fan of participating in firefights with insurgents, preferring to do his job the stealth way instead of put himself and his teammates at risk.

The conditions and mission in the Zabul province were constantly changing, and while Puck didn't feel like they were making much progress with the locals, they had stormed several cavernous hideouts in the mountains, securing several important intelligence items such as computer discs, jump drives, maps and documents. The missions in the mountains continued to get more dangerous by the minute as well, the insurgents gaining confidence and strength while the terrain and weather posed all sorts of threats to the men, leaving everyone a bit shaken and thankful to complete every mission and come back to the base safely every time.

As the expectations and missions grew to be more stressful, Puck found relief in the gym, continuing to work out and keep his body in top shape, as well as in his conversations with his family and Quinn. Seeing their faces and hearing their voices instantly diffused any tension he had built up, allowing him to relax and bask in the artificial company of his computer screen. He would give anything for his deployment to hurry up and finish so he could hold all of them in his arms and make sure they were all ok again.

He thought that desire to be home and in Quinn's arms had hit an all-time high after one particular weekend in February. It had been five months since he left the States and he was really starting to get homesick. He had just turned 21 and he was a bit bummed that he wasn't out spending his 21st birthday like all of the other kids he knew, going out to the bars and celebrating.

He managed to catch up with Quinn on Skype for a bit, finding it strange when she asked if he was the only person around. Finn, Tex and Vargas were all on base security patrol that night so he told her that he was alone, looking forward to the peace and solitude for the evening. Quinn then told him she had a late birthday/Valentine's Day surprise for him and stood up from her seat, angling the computer just right.

She began to peel her clothes off, layer by layer. Puck watched with bated breath, never believing in God as much as he does when he sees his wife naked, for there is no way her body could have been created by anything other than a divine hand. She continued teasing him by running her fingertips all across her body, caressing, stroking and pinching until Puck could barely take it, begging her to chase her release.

He watched her breathing hitch as her body tumbled over the edge, the sight hotter than any movie or dirty magazine he had ever laid eyes on. They had tried phone sex a few times when they couldn't visit each other for a while back when he was in the States, but he thinks he just found his new favorite activity in "Skype-sex."

Thankful none of his teammates had been around to witness the show, he takes care of himself and thanks her for the best birthday/Valentine's Day gift ever. Sated and tired, they chat for a bit longer, proclaiming their love for one another and disconnect for the evening, both falling asleep shortly thereafter.

* * *

><p>Winter turns into spring and spring begins to turn into summer as the months pass uneventfully. Quinn had finished all of her finals and found out she received straight A's again that semester, earning her a sixth consecutive Dean's List commendation. Since Puck wasn't around, she had opted to stay in Columbus for the summer, signing herself up for summer school to try and get a jump on her classes.<p>

She figured she could finish up several hours that she needed and could quite possibly graduate a semester early if she took four classes that summer, allowing her the freedom to move to be with Puck after the upcoming December. He was supposed to be done with his tour of duty in September which would mean they would only be apart for another three and a half months until they could move in together and start their lives with one another.

She had also decided on taking the LSAT to get into law school. She loved the law, did extremely well in all of her pre-law and government classes and figured her finance background couldn't hurt so she registered to take it in June, giving her time to fill out law school applications and get her score back. Syracuse had a good law school and that was only an hour away from Ft. Drum, and while the commute may suck at times, it would be worth it to get to be with her husband full time.

Quinn still missed Puck like crazy and always worried about him when she didn't hear from him for days at a time. She had talked to Santana and Britt about it a lot, her roommates providing a form of comedic support, helping Quinn laugh and enjoy life even when she found herself sad and depressed about his absence. She also found a kindred spirit in Rachel and the girls became rather close, talking through things and lending each other the emotional support each of them needed.

Rachel had kept herself busy, touring the country with her "Rock of Ages" show, but the showtimes managed to stay fairly consistent, allowing Quinn and her to form a sort of routine schedule as to when they could talk and catch-up. Rachel told Quinn all about the cities she had traveled to, emailing her pictures of the cast and venues while telling her all about what was new in her life. Quinn, on the other hand, would keep her updated on her cheer and school stuff, regaling her with stories about some wild times with Britt and Santana for comedic relief.

They girls talked about all sorts of things, and while they made an effort to try and keep it light at times, they both would slip in questions about what they had heard from their husbands or how things were going into every conversation.

* * *

><p><em>June – 9 Months into Deployment<em>

On the personal front, Puck was riding a high. Quinn had scored well on her LSATs and getting into a good law school would be a piece of cake for her and Puck couldnt be prouder, bragging to everyone he knew that he would soon have a 'Sugar Mama' lawyer for a wife. On the professional front, things continued to get harrier.

In the month of May alone, five patrol convoys had been attacked and several soldiers had been killed along the way. Puck had been involved in one of those incidents, his team's Humvee having rolled over an IED and blowing the truck to the side. Luckily, the armor plating surrounding the truck took most of the blast, the men inside safe if not a bit shaken up. They had to crawl out of the windows and lay down cover fire as the other teams in the other Humvees pulled their injured out and to safety.

Overall, most of the people stationed at their forward operating area in Zabul could say that they had been involved in an attack or an IED explosion at least once on their tour, but Puck had this nagging feeling that the tension in the region had not yet reached it apex, threatening to culminate into an all out guerilla war between the US and Allied Forces and the terrorist insurgents. It seemed like no matter how many caves they raided or how much intel they had gathered, it wasn't enough and the insurgents continued to flood into the region.

In late June, the men received a new order, detailing a mission they were to conduct in a nearby town. Intel had received notice that several Al Qaeda members were taking up residence in a small compound in town and it was their job to verify if, in fact, that intel was correct. The men snuck into town, cautious of their route as they scoped out the potential sights the men may be.

After an hour of searching, the second Special Forces team radioed in that they believed they had located the compound, the men quickly making their way toward the location as they scoped out the residence and what they were potentially up against if they were to try and take the building.

They held their positions for a long time, simply observing and taking note of every movement in the building, trying to get a head count and determine what kind of firepower they were packing. Once they had sufficient evidence and intelligence, the teams slipped away into the night, stealthily making their way back to the extraction point and back to base.

The next day, Puck's team, in conjunction with two other Special Troops teams, gathered in the ready room, deliberating over and rehearsing their plan of attack. Puck's team was to flank the northern wall of the building, coming up on it from the side while the other teams would approach from the south side of the street, providing cover and leading the second wave into the building to help support Puck's unit in taking down whatever terrorist they needed to and securing any and all possible intelligence material on the premises.

The mission was supposedly simple, the tactics having been practiced hundreds of times over the past few years and it was going to be a quick in-and-out job, taking what they needed and getting out of there without any major incident.

After Puck's unit had been dropped off and the two other teams got themselves into position, the operation commenced. Hunt and another sniper from one of the other units were positioned high up in the mountains, observing the operation from afar and monitoring activity around the compound, ready to pull the trigger if they needed to neutralize an enemy combatant quickly.

As Puck's team moved into position, the other two teams flanked the school building across the street, sneaking under windows as they passed by, hearing the children reciting lessons back to their teachers. They inched closer toward the compound, Lt. Parker leading the way, followed closely by Puck and Finn as they would need the immediate firepower the two specialists carried.

They paused and held back momentarily as Hunt signaled for their stop, checking his scope for any immediate danger. As he scanned the area, he noted a man on the roof gazing down the street, looking almost directly at the location the two other units sat waiting for the moment when they were to help cover Puck and Finn's unit as they charged the building. Hunt saw the man on the roof signal down to somebody, his lips moving as the man issued what appeared to be an order to somebody below. As soon as a different man stepped out into the open street in front of the building, Hunt broke radio-silence to alert them to the movement taking place.

The man in the street craned his neck to get a better look down the way in the direction of the other two teams near the school and immediately reached into his pocket. Puck raised his gun, preparing to fire when Hunt squawked over the radio, issuing a warning that the man had pulled out a cell phone from his hand and was smiling as he looked down the street.

Realizing the potential danger if the man was able to dial in his phone and activate a remotely detonated IED, the sniper next to Hunt pulled a bullet back into the chamber and fired, sending a round directly at the man. Instead, the man crouched down to check for feet under the cars across the street at that exact time, the round flying over his head and imbedding itself in the mortar on the building behind him. The man glanced up quickly, noticing the shot and seeing movement as he clutched his cell phone tighter.

Lt. Parker saw this brief respite as an opportunity to charge and disarm the man, leaving their position and running toward the man in the street, Puck following close behind him as they descended on the man from his blind side. Puck had sprinted all out and got there before Parker, tackling the man and holding him down and trying to wrestle the phone out of his hand when he heard the man laugh from underneath him, pressing the green button on the device in the process.

Behind him, Puck heard an audible click sound down the deserted street before the explosion ripped through the air, the blast wave so loud everyone on the street was taking cover and holding their hands over their ears as the debris began to fly. The first explosion triggered a second detonation simultaneously, a truck parked on the same side of the road exploding into burning fragments of metal and building material and sending the shards everywhere.

As the second car exploded, Puck saw the shock wave blow several members of the other two units away, tossing their bodies around like rag dolls as they flew through the air. Puck did a quick glance around, accounting for all of his men quickly before patting the man down and disarming him, tying his hands behind his back for good measure.

It was then Puck took a quick survey of the wreckage. The IED blast came from two separate cars, annihilating the vehicles and ripping a gaping hole in the building next to the blast. Fiery bits of debris floated down from the sky and Puck felt a sharp pain in his upper thigh, ignoring the searing discomfort long enough to motion for the remainder of his team to storm the building and take out any other hostiles that may be in there.

Parker popped up from where he took cover and signaled for Tex, Vargas and Finn to follow, the men storming through the door and performing a quick sweep of the premises as they neutralized any remaining threats, Hunt covering them from above.

Hunt had seen the blast from his vantage point but was not aware of any victims or the extent of the damage, radioing in a med-evac helicopter to the scene to help the wounded if necessary. He packed up his gear and sprinted down the mountain at a brisk pace, hustling to aid in whatever recovery or damage control he could.

After getting the ok, Finn exited the building, scanning the streets and vehicles for any other tell-tale signs of IEDs in the area just as he had been trained to do during ordinance school earlier in the year, disappearing around the corner to secure the alleyway before moving back into position to cover Puck.

As Finn disappeared around one corner, a second insurgent rounds a separate corner, drawing his gun immediately at the sight of Puck. He fires off a few rounds, barely missing Puck but Puck is faster, taking the man out in two shots to the chest. He crumples to the ground as Finn rounds the corner from the alley, gasping as he surveys the surroundings momentarily while scanning for any other combatants.

Parker, Vargas and Tex re-emerge from the building after neutralizing the area from the bottom to the top, Parker carrying a burlap bag of sorts, the content most likely intelligence items like computer parts, jump drives, documents and maps. They exit quickly and take in their surroundings, finally registering the full extent of the destruction as everything all happened so fast.

The man under Puck wasn't going anywhere so he took a chance to look around, seeing the flames of the car parts and the debris from the building strewn about the street. The smoke was still thick, but the men were able to get a decent look at the sheer carnage the explosions caused.

Puck turns the man underneath him over, looking into his face as he took in the motherfucker responsible for the wreckage. The man offers a villainous smile at Puck before spitting up at Puck's face, calling the soldiers "American Dogs" and proclaiming that the victims were "sacrificial lambs to the greater good of jihad." Puck had heard enough, closing his fist and raising his arm before delivering two quick blows to the man's face, knocking him out cold.

The dust began to settle a bit, the smoke still rising from various flaming debris. The team heard movement around the blast area, snapping their rifles level and taking up protective positioning to cover one another. A loud groan of pain rang out from across the street, Puck and his team moving in sync as they neared the area to see its cause. All of a sudden the smoke cleared a bit and the men stood there frozen in their spots, taking in the most gruesome scene they had ever seen.

Bodies were strewn across the rubble, red blood seeping out into the dust. So many bodies: bodies of fellow soldiers, bodies of a few women and male civilians, bodies of small children. It was almost too much.

He heard Finn retch beside him, vomiting into the street as Tex and Parker stared on in horror. Hunt squawked through the radio telling them he was close by, approaching from the south and to hold their fire as he would be there in less than 5 minutes to help.

Off to the left, they heard the shrill cry "medic" and "somebody help!" Vargas snapped into Medic-mode, taking off in the direction of the cry as Parker covered him. Tex radioed in an additional extraction chopper, noting there were several men down and they needed medical attention. Finn took off after Vargas and Parker, helping to pull fragments of metal and building materials out of the way to get to the wounded, Tex following close behind as they sifted through the rubble, trying to identify those still alive.

Puck took a look around and headed off, battling his way through the fiery debris and running toward where Finn, Tex Vargas and Parker were generally located, each man pulling other Army soldiers out of harm's way and assessing their injuries.

As he ran, his body was wracked with a shooting pain in his left leg, the feeling of fire searing down his leg. He looked down and saw a large gash in his fatigues, blood soaking into the material, but he would worry about that later. There were fallen soldiers everywhere and he was hell-bent to help. They never left a man behind.

As Puck made his way toward the men, he heard a faint wail, his eyes scanning the ground as he made out the body of a small boy, no more than seven years old lying several feet from him, crying and covered in blood. He rushed over to the boy, noting that he is bleeding profusely from his abdomen.

Something inside of him snaps and Puck just reacts, taking his hands and covering the wound as best he can, applying pressure to the area to stave off the bleeding. He calls out for Vargas while he feels the small boy tremble underneath his hands, his wails becoming fainter and fainter as Puck feels his heart beat slow. He screams out for Vargas again, the man sprinting to his side while Puck frantically tells him to do something and help the boy.

There is so much blood all over his hands and the little boy's body is trembling and jerking less and less under his touch. The medic takes his fingers and presses them against the boy's pulse point on his neck, bowing and shaking his head before retracting his hand a few seconds later.

Vargas and Puck look up into the little boy's face, watching one more tear escape the corner of his eye as the last bit of his life escapes his body. Puck begins to tremble lightly while Vargas reaches up, gently brushing the boy's eyelids closed before he crosses himself, touching his forehead then his chest, before crossing his shoulders in Catholic tradition. He mutters a quick prayer for the deceased boy before he stands to go try and find any other survivors.

Puck removes his hands from the boy's abdomen and stands, staring down at the lifeless kid in front of him before looking at his hands, covered in blood. His leg starts throbbing harder as he backs away, looking around and taking a 360 degree view of the carnage he is standing in the middle of.

His head begins to swim as he sees all of the blood and lifeless bodies half-buried under rubble or flaming metal. He hears the cries of the wounded, his other unit mates scrambling to free a few soldiers trapped by the rubble or rushing to aid the victims that are still alive.

Other civilians from the village begin to rush out of their homes to help, parents stopping in their tracks and wailing for their slain children. A woman rushes forward and Puck grips his gun tightly as she approaches and throws herself onto the little boy he was just trying to help, the mother sobbing into the little boy's shirt as she clutches him tightly to her chest, the sounds of her wails sure to haunt his dreams long after this is over.

He thinks of Quinn and Beth briefly, putting himself in the villagers' shoes and tries to envision what he would do if it were one of them on the ground instead of the little boy. The thought is just too much to handle, so he quickly shuts his eyes, trying to will the image away before he thinks about it too much.

It's all so overwhelming and the heat and the smell of blood and death starts to get to him. He moves to go help the others, his leg pounding and throbbing with every step he takes toward his other teammates, feeling dizzy from the loss of blood.

There is a deafening ringing noise in his ears and his vision begins to blur and his head begins to swim as he pushes on. He stumbles a few times, pulling himself up and trying to ignore the pain in his extremity, but it's almost unbearable. He opens his mouth to call for help but nothing comes out.

His movement slows dramatically as his vision begins to cloud white, his whole body going numb.

He feels himself falling but he's unable to catch himself as his body hits the dirt.

Then everything fades to black.


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N:**_ _I want to apologize for it taking so long to update this story. This chapter ended up being much longer than I originally anticipated and ultimately, I ended up breaking it into two chapters. I also wanted to apologize for turning this whole story into a bit of a saga. I could have shortened it quite a bit and turned it into a much shorter job, but I decided against that and figured I would just continue on with the story like I originally planned._

_On that note, I also feel the need to warn you again that this and the following chapter are both more along the lines of an 'M' rating. They will be the last 'M' rated chapters of the story and I apologize if this turns you off from wanting to continue reading the story but due to some more mature themes (aka adult situations and more war violence) I felt it was necessary to change the rating so nobody will kick me off the site or sue me or something. There is an important aspect of these next 2 chapters and I will provide more information at the end of the next chapter (which I will have up in the next few days, I promise) but please bear with me and feel free to let me know if you like it or if you want to critique/criticize it. No hard feelings, I promise!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

_-Late June-_

*_Buzzzzz, Buzzzzzzz….. Buzzzzzzz, Buzzzzzz…Buzzzzzz, Buzzzzz*_

Quinn raises her head slightly as she glances sleepily at her alarm clock on her nightstand. 3:17 am. She reaches out to try and grasp her phone, now starting to blare out the instrumental music that follows the vibration. She checks the screen, searching for the 'silent' button for the alarm when she sees it isn't her alarm but rather an incoming call that woke her at this ungodly hour.

Her brow furrows in confusion for a bit at the unknown number but she decides to answer anyway, even if it's just to give the person on the other end a piece of her mind for calling so late. "Hello," she answers.

"Is this Mrs. Quinn Puckerman? Wife of Army Specialist Noah Puckerman?" the voice on the other end asks.

Initially annoyed by the lack of a greeting, Quinn sits up a little straighter, wondering where this conversation was going, "This is she."

"Mrs. Puckerman, my name is Sergeant Anna Stevenson with the Army Medical Corps stationed at Fort Drum, New York. I apologize for the hour at which I am calling you, ma'am, but it is protocol to inform family members of a change in medical status as soon as possible,"

Quinn's eyes got huge and a lump started to form in her throat as Quinn took in the information. Even though it was ridiculously early in the morning, she felt wide awake at this point, fearing what would come next in the conversation. "Change in medical status?" she asked, "What does that mean?"

Her heart was pounding as she waited for the reply. After a few seconds the woman answered, "Well ma'am, I am not at liberty to discuss specifics but -"

"Like hell you aren't," Quinn practically shouted, cutting the woman off, "That's my husband you are talking about!" Her breathing got ragged as worry and anger coursed through her body, "You call me at 3am to tell me my husband had a 'change in his medical status' while he is deployed and expect me to accept that you are 'not at liberty to discuss specifics?'"

At this, Quinn's door flies open to reveal Santana wielding a baseball bat, her hair crazy and her eyes alert with Britt following close behind. Quinn's eyes fly up to meet her friends, Santana holds up her hand in recognition when she realizes Quinn is only on the phone, "Sorry, I thought you were yelling at a burglar or something."

Quinn nods and holds up a finger, signaling for them to give her a minute before listening hard to what the woman on the other end of the line had to say.

"Mrs. Puckerman, I apologize I cannot give you all the details as much of it is classified. However, I will ease your fears and tell you that your husband is alive and well. He is a little banged up and has suffered some fairly serious injuries so he and other members of his team will be headed back to the States for a bit to recover but all and all, he is going to be fine."

Quinn breathed a huge sigh of relief and closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against the wall as San and Britt stared at her in confusion. They understood her concern and relief as soon as Quinn spoke up again, "So he is ok though, right?"

"Yes ma'am. All in one piece. He suffered some trauma to his leg and had several other cuts and bruises but he is ok. He lost quite a bit of blood but the combat doctors were able to take care of him before it became too serious."

"How did this all happen?" she asked.

"That is the part I am not at liberty to discuss with you, ma'am. Details of the mission are classified. Your husband is at liberty to discuss what he wishes with you, but I am afraid I am not."

Quinn's breathing began to even out a bit again before her eyes snapped open, "Wait, you did say his whole team was coming back, right."

"Yes, ma'am." The woman confirmed.

She instantly thought about Rachel, hoping she hadn't gotten the same scare Quinn just had. Being the dramatic individual she is, Rachel would flip out even at the mention of the Army Medical Corps. "What about a Specialist Finn Hudson? He is also in my husband's unit."

Santana and Britt moved into the room, both taking up space on the bed around Quinn as they waited for the woman to speak again.

"I am not at liberty to discuss any other soldier's medical details with people outside of their immediate family, ma'am."

Quinn nodded her head but still wanted to know. She decided to prod a bit more, "Please, just tell me if he's ok. He is my husband's best friend and his wife and I are very close. I just want to know if she's getting a phone call just like I am. You don't have to give me details, I just need to know. Please?"

She heard the woman sigh lightly on the other end of the phone, "Yes ma'am. Specialist Hudson is just fine. A little battered too, but he is alive and well. As are all the other men in their unit."

Quinn felt a huge wave of relief wash over her as she absorbed the information. "When will they be back in the states and how long will they be home."

"As far as how long they will be back, it has yet to be determined. They still have another few months on their deployment so they will have to go back and finish it out, but the Army usually gives about 3 weeks or so for these kinds of injuries. It's usually sufficient to allow them to heal. They are currently in Germany right now but they are scheduled to arrive back here at Ft. Drum in approximately three days. Is there anything else I can do for you ma'am?"

"No, thank you so much though. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Good day, ma'am."

Quinn set her phone down and looked up at her friends. Britt barely gave her a few seconds before she launched herself at Quinn, engulfing her in a hug. "I am so happy Puck is ok," she cried.

"Me too, Britt." She glances back up at Santana who hasn't moved since she sat down a few minutes earlier, "I never want to get another call like that ever again."

San smiled, "I don't blame you. But do you really think Puck would have gone down without a fight? I mean Finn maybe, since we all know he is a bit of a man-child, but Puck? Nah."

Quinn tried to quirk her eyebrows at Santana, but in her exhausted state it came off as more like a stare which caused Santana to laugh out loud before she explained, "See, I like to think of Puck as a cockroach. Annoying as fuck when he's around and no matter where you go or what you do, you can never quite get rid of him. Plus, cockroaches can survive everything from the Ice Age to the atomic bomb. I like to think Puck would do that too…just so he could spend the rest of his life with you and annoying the fuck outta me."

Quinn couldn't help laugh at her friend's wayward thinking and method of trying to cheer her up. She and San didn't see eye to eye always, but she did care about the Latina and knew Santana felt the same way, even if her way of showing it was a bit eccentric.

After her roommates went back to sleep, Quinn tried to do the same but couldn't seem to get her mind to shut off. She decided to make the most of the early morning and look into her schedule for the rest of week, discovering she had plenty of time with the first summer school session winding down. She began to make plans to head up to New York in a few days to meet the boys, making a mental note to call Rachel and see what she had going on during the time when the boys would be back.

* * *

><p>Puck's eyes flitter open slowly, allowing him to take in the bright light surrounding him. He turns his head slowly, taking in his surroundings before trying to sit up, only to have his movement hindered by wires and tubes. He glances down at his arms, noting an IV tube attached to one and a heart rate monitor wire stuck to his chest, his finger stuck into a secondary monitor slip.<p>

His head is pounding and his throat is unbearably dry, feeling like sandpaper as he tries to swallow. He is confused and doesn't know what is going on so he jerks up, trying to move to get out of bed when he feels the sharp pain in his leg shoot down toward his foot. He peels back the covers and the gown to see a fresh gauze bandage taped to the side of his thigh.

His jerky movement made his heart rate spike, causing an alarm to go off at the nurse's station and shortly thereafter, two nurses make their way into his room to see what all the commotion was about. They could tell he was confused so they went to get the doctor. As soon as he came in and introduced himself, he began to explain what was going on.

"Currently, you are in a military hospital at Ramstein Air Force Base here in Germany. You lost a lot of blood and while they were able to patch you up as best as they could, your blackout and other symptoms, as well as those of the other members of your unit, drew cause for you all to be brought here for observation."

"What happened? How long have I been out?" Puck questioned as he scratched his head, wincing as he grazed across another cut.

"You have been unconscious for about a day and a half. Your team, as well as two other teams, was hit by a car bomb. The debris and shrapnel exploded everywhere and a rather large chunk of metal managed to lodge itself into your leg. The piece struck you in a particularly susceptible area at the side of your quad muscle, nicking the femoral artery in the process. It's a pretty major artery and you lost a lot of blood rather quickly. That is when you blacked out."

Puck continued to stare at him in confusion so the doctor continued, "A few men from your unit called in several med-evac choppers and they were on the scene a few minutes later with several other infantry ground troops, just in case. They also detained a man who appeared to be unconscious with his hands tethered behind his back."

Puck nodded, remembering the man as the one who set off the bomb. "Yeah, I was the one who tied him down. I didn't think I would pass out before I could help the others –"

The doctor nodded solemnly which caused Puck to panic slightly at the mention of his team. "What about my team, doc? How are they? Where are they? Are they all alright?"

"Whoa there young man, calm down. Yes, everyone from your unit is just fine." Puck began to speak but the doctor cut him off to fill him in on everyone, "Lt. Parker and Sgt. Vargas both have plenty of cuts and bruises as well as a few second degree burns from trying to remove as much of the metal as they could to try and search for others. Sgt. Miller sustained a blown ear drum and a mild concussion and Spc. (specialist) Hudson had a separated shoulder and a broken clavicle. That's a collarbone, if you were wondering."

Puck nodded, "What about Hunt?"

"First Sgt. Huntington was unscathed. He made it down from his position just in time to help clear some debris and scout the area to make sure it was safe for the choppers to land. However, he came to Germany with everyone as well, seeing as his whole unit was brought back."

He explained all of the proper care techniques and told Puck that his unit would be returning back to the States for a bit to recover. While he was initially excited by the prospect of going home for a bit, he wanted to know the rest of what happened.

"What about the men from the other teams? We went in with 12 other guys." Bits and pieces of memories began to flood back to him as his head began to spin, "What about the villagers? The kids? The bomb exploded right outside of a school building. What happened!"

The doctor gave him a small smile before his face turned solemn. "The two other units were positioned right in between the school and the cars where the bombs were detonated." He paused, taking his glasses off and wiped them on his lab coat. "Despite the valiant efforts of your unit and your medic, Sgt. Vargas, there was not a whole lot you all could have done. We lost 7 good men and two others have been put into medically induced comas to hopefully allow for the internal swelling to go down. The other three were more fortunate, having sustained some serious injuries from the shockwave and the debris, but overall they will be ok. I fear the occupants of the school did not fare well either."

Puck felt as though he couldn't breathe. They lost 7 men. Seven of his friends, whom he may not have been as tight with as he was with his own unit, but he knew all of them from training and other missions they had all gone on during the past several months. Several of those guys were married, a few even had families. The thought that, in one foul sweep, they were no longer alive and the fact that that asshole he had taken out was the cause of it made him sick to his stomach.

Then he thought back to the school. He had tried to help that little boy and watched as the kid died right in front of him, but how many more were there? They were just children, for God's sake, they were innocent! This wasn't their war. They didn't deserve their fate. Such a senseless act made Puck want to vomit and shoot the man responsible all at the same time. He had never been particularly vindictive in his life, but in that moment he knew he wouldn't hesitate to take that man's life if he ever saw him again.

He swallowed hard, closing his eyes and absorbing everything he was just told. The doctor didn't offer any condolences as there was nothing to say that would make either man or the situation sit better with anyone. Instead, the doctor chose to change the subject, explaining when Puck and his unit would head back to Ft. Drum and telling him where everyone else was in the hospital before excusing himself and leaving the room.

Puck slammed his head against the pillow, pounding his fist against the bed as he felt an unbearable burden of guilt settle over him. Guilt for being one of the few to make it out of there alive. Guilt for not being able to do more to stop it. Guilt for not being able to help the little boy or any of the other children. Guilt for not being able to help pull any more of his fellow soldiers out and give them aid because he blacked out. Who knows who would still be alive if he were able to help.

He tried to close his eyes and push the memories away but he couldn't, replaying the explosion and the grisly scene over and over in his head. He awoke several times during the night, unable to shut his brain off as he continued to relive the nightmare like it was some kind of sick joke. He could only hope and pray it would go away with time, but every time he shut his eyes, the only thing he saw was that man's face, staring up into his as he pressed the button, followed by the wail of the mother who lost her child.

* * *

><p>After a stressful few days of travel, Quinn finally met up with Rachel and the girls made their way to Ft. Drum to welcome the guys back to the US. They were a bit early as the plane wasn't scheduled to arrive for another hour or so, so they spent their time wandering around the visitor's center, chatting with a few other soldiers and catching up on their Cosmo issues.<p>

Finally, they were approached by a man who notified them he would be escorting them to the hanger in which their plane was to taxi into and unload the men and their cargo. As they made their way across the base, Quinn could hardly contain herself. Even though Puck and his unit had been deployed for around 9 months already and she missed him like crazy during that time, she felt the past few days had been some of the longest of her life. Now, making their way into the hangar, the minutes seemed to be ticking by incredibly slowly as they waited.

As soon as they saw the military aircraft begin to taxi its way into the hangar, both girls hearts soared, knowing they would soon be reunited with their loved ones, even though they knew they really would only be in the states for 3-4 weeks and would have to head back after that. At this point, they would take whatever time they could get.

The aircraft came to a halt and the door swung open, a set of stairs being wheeled in to position so the men could descend. The first men out the door appeared to be Air Force personnel, followed shortly thereafter by Lt. Parker and 1st Sgt. Huntington. Vargas emerged after that, his left arm bandaged from his wrist to his elbow.

Quinn turned to look at Rachel, the girls sharing a look of concern as to what to expect next. Tex came out next sporting a black eye and bruising around his left ear, but otherwise looked fine.

Quinn heard Rachel gasp and let out a small squeak when Finn walked out the door, his arm in a sling as he descended the stairs and smiled when he saw Rachel across the room. He made a quick remark to Parker before making his way over to her, wrapping her up with his good arm and kissing her hard. She went to wrap her arms around his neck but as soon as her hand made contact with his shoulder, he winced in pain and she recoiled, apologizing and sticking with a more one-armed hug.

Watching the two of them reunite made Quinn's stomach flip. She watched a few other Air Force guys get off of the plane before a pair of crutches came into view, being wielded by none other than her husband Puck. Despite the cuts and bruising she could see on his arms and the injury on his leg she knew he was hiding under his fatigues, he looked even more incredible than she remembered.

It may have been just because she hadn't seen him in person for what felt like forever or the fact that he looked a bit bigger and more rugged than he had before, but she felt her heart race just at the sight of him.

Puck tried to carefully crutch himself down the stairs, which was proving to be more difficult than he initially thought. Tex jumped up a few stairs to help him down but Puck refused. He wanted to be able to prove that he could do it on his own so Tex just stood in front of him to make sure he didn't fall all the way down. As soon as he hit the bottom step, he turned to face the officers waiting at the bottom and offered them a salute before turning and glancing out in the direction he saw Finn go, looking for Quinn.

As soon as they made eye contact, she gave a small wave and he returned the gesture, offering her a soft smile before beginning to crutch over to where she stood. Once he had made it most of the way across the hangar, Quinn couldn't help running the few extra steps toward him, engulfing him in a hug as soon as she was close enough.

She savored the feel of his strong arms wrap around her and breathed in his scent, feeling truly blessed that he was actually here in front of her after all those months. She pulled back slightly and looked up at him, a few happy tears escaping as she leaned up and captured his lips, enjoying their soft texture and delicious taste. She ran her hand up his arm, stopping to caress his cheek as she tried to deepen the kiss, only to be interrupted by somebody clearing their throat.

The couple broke apart, Puck trying to stand at attention as soon as he saw it was Lt. Parker addressing him. He told Puck to stand at ease and explained to Puck and Quinn, as well as Finn and Rachel who had just joined them, as to their instructions for their medical R&R. Parker knew most of the men would head back to their home states to recover, so he instructed them to visit the base hospital there at Ft. Drum for an outprocessing briefing and to collect their files. Then they were to report in at a local VA hospital in whatever state they were going back to at least once a week to get checked out and make sure their injuries were healing and they were making progress toward getting healthy enough to go back out into the field in just under a month.

The men all chose to head straight to the hospital and get checked out so they could leave as soon as possible. After another hour or so, Quinn and Rachel were relieved to be able to leave base once the men had been checked out and said goodbye to all of their buddies, having spent most of their day seemingly waiting around for the Army to let them leave with their husbands.

The girls had checked into a hotel near base the previous night so the foursome headed that way, the boys opting to shower quickly and change so they could all go out to eat.

As soon as Quinn opened the door to their hotel room and allowed for Puck to enter and put his stuff down, she expected him to practically jump her. Their emails and conversations recently conveyed the message that they were both sexually frustrated and missed each other so she figured that would probably be the first thing Puck wanted to do.

However, he simply sat himself down on the bed, laying his crutches on the ground and digging through his bag to find some clean clothes to wear out. So she tried a different tactic. She sidled up to him on the bed, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and placing a few kisses on his neck and jaw hoping he would get the idea.

Instead, he reached up and detached her arm from around his shoulders, turning his head toward her and giving her a slight smile, "Babe, I'm kinda hungry right now and I just wanna take a quick shower and head out from there."

"Would you like some company?" she smiled back.

He ran a hand over his head, turning to avoid her gaze as he stood up, "Um, I don't think so this time. I'll be real quick, then we can go."

Quinn tried to hide the confusion on her face as he began to limp toward the bathroom. "Maybe later then," she called after him as she heard the door click shut and the water turn on.

To be honest, Quinn was beyond confused at his behavior. Sure he was probably hungry and tired after he had traveled over 7000 miles in the past few days, but still. In the past, every time she had tried to start something with him, he gave in, especially if it meant showering together. It was kind of their thing and they both felt there was something sexy about the water running down their bodies as their skin made contact and they came together that made showering together so amazing.

All in all, Puck never turned down sex so Quinn just tried to push away the confusion and tell herself it was just because he wanted to get some decent food in him as soon as possible. She changed quickly and text Rachel to see if they were almost ready. When she didn't receive a response, she figured they were probably enjoying themselves like she wanted to enjoy Puck but that wasn't going to happen just yet. So she leaned up against the headboard on the bed and flipped on the TV, browsing through the channels.

After a quick 5 minute rinse, Puck dried himself off and changed out his bandaging on his leg, the wound still gruesome-looking but healing well. He probably didn't really need the crutches for much longer as he could put weight on the leg just fine, but the doctor didn't want him splitting the stitches before it had healed, so he chose to listen and wait for the muscle and skin to heal itself. He dressed himself and made his way back out into the room, sitting down and pulling some shoes on.

Puck had been rather quiet once he finished his shower and came back into the room. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched the show Quinn had turned on, not saying a word until the silence started to get to Quinn and she asked him what kind of food he was in the mood for. He simply shrugged his shoulders, saying he was good with whatever. She told him Rachel text her and let her know they would be ready in about 10 minutes and he responded with a simple 'ok.'

She could tell he was in a bit of a mood so she asked him what was wrong but he brushed her off again, telling her everything was fine and he was just tired. She decided to let it go and they sat there for several more minutes, watching the show in silence.

Finally Rachel and Finn came and knocked on their door, Quinn and Puck hopping up and making their way out to the car and heading to the restaurant Rachel had picked out earlier.

While Quinn thought Puck's behavior earlier was a bit strange, she decided to brush it off and not let it bother her too much, attributing it to the travel and fatigue he was probably experiencing from his time overseas. She was a little disappointed in his lack of enthusiasm at their reunion but figured it was nothing to be concerned about. However, his reserve throughout the rest of the night puzzled her even more.

He was fairly quiet during dinner, only saying a few words here and there when someone directly addressed him. Rachel talked quite a bit, but Puck would have usually thrown in a few quips here and there, and the fact that he didn't was a bit odd. Quinn even tried to hold his hand under the table, Puck giving it a light squeeze before releasing it and clasping his hands together in his lap.

She thought it may have just been the fact that they were out in public and he wasn't much for the PDA but she knew something was up once they returned to their hotel and went their separate ways from the Hudsons.

Once they were settled in their room, Quinn tried to make her move again, stroking his cheek and pulling him in for a kiss, making a move to start unbuttoning his shirt. Once again, Puck pulled back, telling her he was tired and really just wanted to go to bed. He stood up and went about brushing his teeth, climbing into bed and turning away from her, offering her a view of his back instead.

At this point, Quinn was beyond puzzled. She was actually kind of hurt by his refusal. It had been so long since they had been intimate and she wanted nothing more than to feel her husband and she figured he would want the same thing, but he kept turning her away.

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and decided she would give it another day or so to let him rest up before broaching the subject again. She settled in under the covers, turning toward him and giving him a lingering kiss on his shoulder blade before nestling into her side of the bed.

* * *

><p>If Quinn thought their first night back together was strange, she didn't even know how to begin to describe the days following their reunion. After spending the night up near Ft. Drum, the Puckermans drove back to Syracuse and jumped on a plane back to Columbus.<p>

Quinn was excited to be able to spend time with her husband away from the stresses of the Army and just enjoy being a couple, and maybe, just maybe, things could go back to normal once they settle into a routine back home. She was also excited that Rachel was able to take a few weeks leave from her show and would also be spending part of their R&R in Columbus as Rachel agreed to housesit for a relative to allow her and Finn to be closer to all of their friends back home.

However, Quinn's excitement was short lived as Puck's behavior continued to baffle her. He had always been so outgoing and borderline obnoxious at times, but the entire trip back to Ohio was a different story. He had barely said one word to her throughout the drive and the flight and that was completely unlike him.

Sitting at the kitchen table one afternoon, she thinks back to the way he looked getting off of the plane back at Ft. Drum and felt a twinge that something was a bit different about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it at the time. And now, after spending the past few days with him, she knew something was definitely up.

Once they had touched down in Columbus, Puck dropped Quinn back off at her, San and Britt's house before he asked if he could borrow her car for a bit. She agreed and found out later that night that he had decided to head back to Lima to visit his family.

Initially she was upset he didn't want to include her in that visit, seeing as how she is part of his family now. She tried to tell herself that she is overreacting to everything and that he probably just wanted to see his mom and sister and didn't mean anything by not taking her with, but it still would have been nice to have been asked if she wanted to go back to their hometown.

Even after that, he returned back to Columbus late in the evening, crawling into bed and going to sleep without saying a word to her. At the time, she figured it was for the best, seeing as how she was pissed he didn't mention he was headed back home and she didn't want to say anything she didn't mean in anger.

However, she is even more perplexed than ever when she woke up this morning and he was already gone, having left her a small note on the counter saying "VA appt – Be back later." That was several hours ago.

She understands the stress of a mission and a deployment can be difficult and she has even tried reasoning that he is probably trying to stay tough and mentally prepared so the transition back in a few weeks won't be as difficult, but it is already taking a toll on her. She loves him and vowed to support him in whatever, but the silent treatment is really getting to her.

That night was the same story as the night before. Puck spent the whole day out and about, returning late at night and silently slipping into bed.

Quinn hears him walk in and feels the mattress shift, realizing he is back finally. In her sleepy state, she rolls over a bit and throws her arm over his torso, snuggling into his chest.

She starts to feel her eyelids drift closed again before she is rudely jerked awake, Puck gingerly pulling her arm off and detangling himself from her, rolling over and away from her. She can feel the hot tears welling up in her eyes as she stares at his back. For the third night in a row, she turns over and silently cries herself to sleep.

* * *

><p>After a week of this same vicious cycle of behavior, Quinn decides it's time to do something different to get through to him. She has tried to be subtle in her ways of trying to reconnect with him, whether it be snuggling up to him on the couch while he watches TV or trying to touch or kiss him before bed, yet he continues to rebuke all of her advances.<p>

In addition to the lack of physical contact and communication, Puck's sleeping behavior has also become an issue. Every night for the past week, Quinn has found herself jerked awake by Puck tossing and turning and yelling out in his sleep. She has tried to wake him up but has had to duck out of the way a few times when his flailing becomes too much, almost hitting her in the process. As the days passed, she noticed that usually the stress of his nightmare usually ends up waking him up; his body drenched in a cold sweat as he simply stands up and leaves the room.

Quinn has asked him on more than one occasion what his nightmare is about but he tended to get a bit gruff with her, telling her it was nothing and not to worry about it before finding some reason to walk off or avoid her. She has tried talking to him and suggested things for them to do together but he keeps refusing, finding something else to do instead. She is so confused and hurt at this point that she has almost run out of hope, deciding she would try one last thing to try and get him interested in her again and to get them back on the right track.

Sex had always been a great stress reliever for the two of them and the best way they both knew how to connect, so she would give it one last ditch effort to try and reconcile their relationship. She was going to try to seduce him as best she could in hopes that it would get him out of his funk. If it didn't work…well, she didn't quite know what else she could do.

* * *

><p>Puck spent much of the next day running errands and working out, trying to rehab his leg as best as he could without damaging the muscle again. The doctor had made a comment that he was not progressing as quickly as he had originally hoped and that really discouraged Puck. He spent quite a bit of time at the physical therapy clinic at the VA as well as at the gym and it pissed him off he wasn't seeing very promising results. It irritated him even more that Quinn continued to text him all day, asking what he was up to and when he would be home.<p>

He wasn't quite sure what irritated him about the latter though. He loved Quinn and enjoyed spending time with her but lately he didn't feel much like doing anything. It was hard to explain how he truly felt about everything.

He was pissed his leg continued to hinder him as much as it was. He was utterly exhausted from the lack of sleep he was getting every night as he was continually plagued by nightmares. And he was confused as to why the powers that be allowed him to live while so many other people died instead.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly how he felt about the whole situation. As much as he had initially wanted to come home for good, he now felt as though he couldn't wait to go back. His term of duty over there was not over and he was not happy or even content in the least bit with the job they had done up until then, despite several flawlessly successful missions prior to the last one.

x-x-x-x

Quinn waited patiently for him to come home that night. She was determined to try and get through to him and didn't care if he ended up coming home at midnight; she was going to try her best to tear down that wall that he had built between the two of him. Britt and Santana were at a house party that evening which meant they would have the whole house to themselves and she refused to pass up the opportunity to be with him while they were alone.

She had gone out earlier that afternoon and, with Santana and Britt's help, managed to pick out a fairly scandalous yet sexy negligee and was excited to try it out tonight.

In her defense, she usually wasn't this bold. While she had been with Puck countless times over the years, she had really only tried to "seduce" him a handful of times over their 3+ year relationship and therefore was a bit nervous and self-conscious to try something like this. However, after teasing Quinn for her shyness around her husband for a bit, Santana explained that it may be a nice touch and given Puck's reaction to her last idea for the picture at boot camp, she just decided to go along with it.

She sent out a text message to Puck asking him where he was and when he would be coming home. After several minutes, she finally got a reply telling her he would be back in about a half an hour. Quinn was relieved that he responded but a bit perturbed at how short his reply was. She figured she could use the extra time to get ready though so she didn't complain too much.

Quinn showered quickly and put on the negligee, donning a sundress over it to keep it a surprise. She spritzed a light sheen of perfume on her pulse points and checked her make up one last time when she heard the front door open and shut quietly, heavy footsteps crossing the hardwood floors on their way to the living room.

She peeked out of her room to see Puck standing in the living room holding the remote and turning on the TV before settling in to the couch to watch Sports Center. She walked out of her room, sneaking up behind him to kiss him gently on the cheek.

Puck jumped in surprise as soon as her lips touched his cheek. He looked almost a bit panicked at first but settled back into the cushions, offering her a small 'hey' before turning his attention back to the TV.

She shook her head slightly in confusion before deciding to just go for it, "Hey baby, I have a little surprise for you."

"Oh yeah?" he asks, his focus still on the TV screen.

"Yeah, I hope you like it," she responds, unzipping the dress and rounding the couch to stand in front of him. He glances over at her, watching the dress slide down her body and pool at her feet.

Quinn stands there in front of him, not quite knowing what to do with her hands as she finds herself getting more and more nervous as he continues to stare at her.

"That's nice, Q," he murmurs before turning his attention back to the TV, "but I'm actually kind of tired tonight."

She tries to hide the disappointment on her face at his reaction before settling down next to him, pulling her legs up under her before leaning up against his right arm and nuzzling her nose into his shoulder.

She plants a few small kisses against his bare shoulder before trailing a few more up his collarbone and neck, her hand wandering up under his cut-off t-shirt to lightly trace the lines of his stomach muscles.

Puck begins to slide away a bit, moving toward the other end of the couch while Quinn follows, "Q, not tonight."

She sidles up to him again, moving up to kiss his jaw and nip his earlobe, "Why?" she murmurs against his ear, "I feel like I've been waiting for forever to spend time alone with my husband."

When he remains in the same place, his gaze refocused at the floor, she backs off slightly "What – Baby, what's wrong? Why don't – Why don't you want me?"

"It's not that, it's just I'm not really in the mood."

She gives him a soft smile before reaching behind her back, unclasping her bra and letting it slide down her arms before tossing it into his lap. Puck looks down at his lap briefly before refocusing on the TV. By this time, Quinn is beyond irritated with his avoidance of her so she decides to step it up a notch, swinging her leg over his to straddle his lap.

She drops her hands to his waist, lightly grasping the hem of his shirt before making a move to pull it off over his head. He barely moves, only pulling back slightly but allows her to slip the cotton over his head. Quinn lets her fingers trail gently down his chest, caressing his skin before turning her attention to undoing his belt.

Puck's eyes remain glued to the floor. "Please get off," he asks, his body rigid and unmoving as she finally gets his belt unbuckled. "Just stop Quinn."

She pauses for a moment before resuming her task of undoing his pants, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "I just want to feel you baby." She finally gets his zipper down and starts to push on the waistband of his boxers, trying to ease them down while he remains motionless. "Now you're the one who is playing hard to get this time," she smirks.

She raises her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek before hooking her fingers under his chin and raising it to look him in the eye.

As soon as their gazes meet, Quinn instantly realizes something is wrong. Instead of seeing those warm chocolate irises she is met with a hard, cold stare, looking at her like he doesn't even recognize who she is.

Before she has a chance to react, Puck snaps.

"Fine, you want this Quinn?" he growls before roughly grasping her wrists and pulling them away from his belt, holding them in one hand as he hastily undoes his pants. He stands quickly, picking her up and practically pinning her to the floor as he covers her body with his.

He tugs her hands up above her head, trapping her wrists with one of his hands as the other roughly pries her legs apart and yanks at her panties until the lace tears away from her body, an audible yelp escaping her lips.

"Is this what you want? Huh?" he asks as he pushes into her roughly, her eyes wide as saucers as she takes in the man above her.

This is not the kind, gentle man she married and has made love to many times before. No, this is somebody completely different, someone who she doesn't know and is instantly afraid of.

His eyes are cold and hollow, dangerous and frightening as she stares up at him, unable to contain the whimper of pain that escapes her lips as he slams into her, roughly holding her body down against the floor.

She calls his name and tries to wiggle out from under him but it is no use. The faraway look in his eyes is enough to see that he is no longer there with her. He is someplace else entirely.

x-x-x-x

It was the strangest thing he had ever experienced. One minute Quinn was sitting on his lap and the very next he was back in Afghanistan, surrounded by dust and smoke. He looks up and sees the debris and dead bodies all around him, blood soaking the ground everywhere.

He feels something pinned underneath him and glances down, recognizing the man who set off the car bomb explosion, his face contorted in that sickeningly disturbing smile. Puck has never felt so much contempt and hatred toward another human being in his life than he does for this man for committing the atrocity he had without so much as a shred of remorse.

Blowing up a school like a coward. Killing seven soldiers and countless innocent civilians. Injuring countless others. No, this man deserves to die.

Puck holds him down, his arm bracing the man's wrists as he brings one hand up to grasp the man's neck, wanting nothing more than to strangle the life out of him.

He feels the man struggle while his grasp tightens, the man's face contorting into one of pain as he sees the man begin to cry.

As he stares at the man, the outside world starts to fade away, the Afghani town transforming back into a cozy American living room as he glances around him.

He hears a slight whimper and a strangled sob come from underneath him and his eyes shoot down immediately, noting one of his arms is bracing Quinn's hands while the other forearm and hand are pressed against her chest and neck, applying an exorbitant amount of pressure on the lithe body of his wife.

Quinn can feel the tears running down her face as she stares up at him in shock, sobbing and quietly pleading with Puck to let her go but she's trapped under the man above her.

She feels her lungs burn from the lack of oxygen as she stares up at her husband, his hollow eyes and angry expression pointed directly at her as she begins to see white spots behind her eyes.

She pleads more, trying to kick him off of her and wrestle herself out of his grasp but he's far too strong. So she just lays there, struggling for breath and sobbing, afraid of the man on top of her, her own husband.

All of a sudden his expression contorts as he looks around the room, presumably taking in his surroundings before he looks back down at her. His eyes flicker in recognition as he sees her trapped underneath him, his body suffocating hers while she still tries to wrestle free.

Puck's eyes widen in horror as he recognizes that his wife is the one underneath him struggling to free herself from his grasp, and not the man he saw from that Afghani village. He immediately lets go of her wrists and sits up, recoiling his arms as he stares at her on the floor.

Quinn just lays there and continues to sob, finally feeling the weight lift off of her yet leaving her feeling utterly and completely helpless and vulnerable.

Puck continues to stare at her for a few seconds before practically jumping off of her, standing quickly and pulling his pants back up, his gaze never leaving the crumpled body on the floor, not even to blink.

Quinn twists onto her side away from him, pulling her legs up to her chest as she continues to cry. The reality of what just happened hits Puck like a freight train. "Holy shit, what have I done?" he asks aloud to nobody in particular. "Quinn?" he asks moving closer to her, bending down and reaching out to her.

As soon as his fingers graze her bare skin, Quinn lets out another small sob, flinching away from his touch.

"Oh God Quinn, I am so sorry. I – I –" he stumbles, feeling completely numb as he stares at her. "Quinn, Quinn I –" he whispers as he reaches out again. Quinn flinches again and scoots further away, finally looking up at him briefly as he continues to stare.

He can clearly see the fear in her eyes and that's enough to send him over the edge. She is terrified of him, her husband, the man who promised to love, honor and protect her forever…not abuse, practically rape and strangle her. He snaps to his feet, tears freely flowing from his eyes and down his cheeks as he takes in the sight of her: the red markings across her chest, neck and wrists, the small amount of blood in between her legs, the black streaks under her eyes from her mascara and tears mixing.

He gasps in horror as it registers that he is the cause of this. Her pain is his fault. He doesn't know what came over him but regardless, Quinn never deserved any of this at all.

Distraught, disgusted with himself and completely numb, Puck starts slowly backing away from his wife, repetitively murmuring "oh God" as he walks toward the door. The tears filling his eyes cloud his vision and he bumps into the corner of the counter, forcing him to turn and flee out into the night.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Puck stumbled down the front stairs of the porch, his stomach heaving as he leans over the bushes and retches, vomiting out of complete revulsion at what just went down. He wipes his mouth and heads over to his truck, jumping in and driving across town toward Rachel's uncle's place where she and Finn are staying while he recovers, speeding the whole way.

He arrived less than 15 minutes later, pounding on the door until the front porch light flickers on. The lock clicks open as Finn answers, immediately realizing something is wrong as soon as he sees Puck standing in the doorway, his chest heaving and his breathing labored, tear streaks staining his face.

He invites his friend in and sits him down on the couch, Puck focusing on the floor as he clasps and unclasps his hands in front of him, occasionally running his hand over his shaved head. Finn looks up at Rachel, now standing in the doorway of the kitchen in her bathrobe glancing at the two men, before he asks Puck what's up. Puck looks up at him, his breathing rough as his gaze flickers between Finn and Rachel before answering, "I fucked up man, like big time fucked up."

Finn's eyes get a bit wider as he decided to proceed with a bit of caution on this one, asking him slowly, "What do you mean by 'fucked up?'

Puck just sits there shaking, tears forming in his eyes again as he catches Finn's gaze before replying, "I think I just assaulted my wife."

_TBC..._


	20. Chapter 20

_It's really long…I'm sorry._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

_Finn looks up at Rachel, now standing in the doorway of the kitchen in her bathrobe glancing at the two men, before he asks Puck what's up. Puck looks up at him, his breathing rough as his gaze flickers between Finn and Rachel before answering, "I fucked up man, like big time fucked up."_

_Finn's eyes get a bit wider as he decided to proceed with a bit of caution on this one, asking him slowly, "What do you mean by 'fucked up?'_

_Puck just sits there shaking, tears forming in his eyes again as he catches Finn's gaze before replying, "I think I just assaulted my wife."_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_Continued…_

Finn stared at Puck, trying to mask the concern creeping onto his face. He needed Puck to open up a bit more and figure out what happened before he made any other sudden decisions. He glanced quickly at Rachel, who was looking on, eyes wide with shock and mouth open wide, waiting for Puck to elaborate a bit more.

Puck buried his face in his hands, rocking back and forth while murmuring small phrases like "I didn't mean to hurt her" and "Oh God."

Finn leaned forward, careful not to make any other sudden movements as to not startle his already shaken friend, "Puck, what happened?"

Leaving his face buried in his hands, Puck begins to tell Finn bits and pieces of what happened that night, from his visit to the VA hospital to Quinn's attempted seduction to the flashback of the man in Afghanistan and finally to the part where he snapped back into reality, realizing he had pinned Quinn underneath him. He kept apologizing over and over again, tearing up again when he recounted how scared she looked when she finally made eye contact with him before he fled the house.

The whole time Puck was talking, Finn sat nodding his head and hoping that at some point in his story he would get around to telling them whether Quinn was ok or not. He got the gist that Puck was pretty shaken up and had left the house rather quickly, not quite knowing the state in which he left his wife, which concerned Finn quite a bit. He looked up and caught Rachel's eye, who nodded in unspoken agreement before murmuring that she was going to put on a pot of coffee.

As Finn stayed by Puck's side, Rachel excused herself to the kitchen, grabbing her cell phone off of the counter and quietly stepping outside onto the back porch. She quickly scrolled through her contacts, finding Quinn's number before calling the blonde's cell. Four rings later, Quinn's voicemail clicked on. Rachel tried not to panic, instead choosing to hang up and try again. Once again, the phone rang four times before flipping over to voicemail.

She left a quick message asking Quinn to call her back as soon as possible before shooting her a quick text message as well, wanting to know if she was alright and telling her to call her. She then looked back at her phone and began scrolling through her contacts to find another number. One she never thought she would ever really use again, but all things considered, this was an emergency and she needed help.

After three quick rings, a loud voice answers. "Holy shit, _the_ Rachel Berry is actually contacting me? For what do I owe the pleasure of this late night call? Wait, is this a booty call?" Santana's snide voice joked on the other end of the line.

"Hello to you too," Rachel replied, her voice clipped in annoyance, "As much as I would love to exchange witty banter with you Santana, I need to know where you and Britt are right now."

"Whoa there Sparky, I was just fucking with you. And if you really must know, we're at a house party and we're just about to do some body shots. Thanks for raining on our parade with your interruption."

"I need you to go back to your place ASAP."

"Um, and barge in on the two lovebirds, hell no. Why?"

"Listen, it's kind of an emergency. I just need you to go home now." Rachel practically ordered, her voice getting stronger and louder as her frustration grew.

"What the fuck crawled up your ass tonight? Why would I want to cut my night short –"

"Santana, for once, just shut your fucking mouth and please do what I ask!" Rachel snapped back.

"Oh, holy shit," Santana responded, her voice much quieter as she responded, "Ok, calm down Berry. You sound serious, what's going on?"

"It's Quinn. I'll fill you in on the details as you go, but I need you to get Britt or whatever and get back home immediately." Rachel tried to hide the slight panic in her voice but Santana was a rather perceptive person, picking up on the hitch in the brunette's voice.

"What about Quinn?" She asked quickly, grabbing Britt's arm as she pulled the other girl away from the people she was talking to, whispering 'We gotta go now' as they left the party.

"From the bits and pieces of what Noah said, something happened earlier tonight before he took off and ended up on our doorstep. He's a complete mess but he made a comment that really scared the shit out of me and that is why I need you to go home and check on Quinn."

Santana's eyes grew wide with surprise and concern flooded her body, she started her car and peeled away from the curb, hauling ass on her way back home. She could hear the panic in Rachel's voice, deciding to step on it even more, racing down the streets. "Rach, I'm about two minutes away. We're almost there," she said, trying to ease Rachel's fears while her heart raced, "But I want to know what Puck said." She swallowed hard, "I just want to make sure I kind of know what to expect."

She heard Rachel take a deep breath before exhaling, clearing her throat in the process, "When he got here, he was shaking and was visibly upset. Finn asked what was up and he replied that he thinks he may have just assaulted his wife. Now, I don't know for sure what –"

Santana cut her off, her rage spiking, "I'll fucking kill him if he hurt Quinn! I promised him that much a long time ago."

Rachel tried to pick her words carefully, realizing the two other girls were getting closer to home and she didn't want them running in there and scaring Quinn even more than she already was. "San, I don't know for sure what the extent was, but I have some theories about what triggered this whole thing. Puck loves Quinn and he feels absolutely terrible, as in physically sick over what happened. I just need you to go make sure she is ok and I need you to call me back as soon as you know anything. Please?"

Santana quickly nodded, glancing over at Britt while the blonde took in the conversation with a mixed look of concern and fear on her face before responding, "Yeah definitely. I'm just pulling up now, so I'll call you back soon."

"K, thanks," Rachel added before the line was disconnected.

x-x-x-x

As soon as Santana and Britt pulled up to the front of their house, Santana slammed the car into park and ripped her keys out of the ignition. The girls took off on a brief sprint up their front walkway and to the front door, pausing to open the door gently and step inside, looking around them for any signs of struggle.

Santana took the lead, walking slowly in front of Brittney before calling out Quinn's name. When they didn't get a response, they moved further into the house, calling her name out one more time before Britt snapped to attention, twisting her head toward the other room.

She put her finger up to her lips signaling for them to be quiet as they listened hard, hearing a soft sob coming from the living room. Santana jogged quickly past the kitchen, Britt on her heels when both girls skidded to a halt as soon as they saw where the noise was coming from. They moved slowly, rounding the couch and taking in the crumpled figure of their friend lying on the floor, naked and huddled in the same position she was 20 minutes prior when Puck fled the house.

Santana moved closer, telling Britt to go grab a blanket or something before murmuring toward Quinn, "Quinn, it's San and Britt. We're here now. It's gonna be ok." She inched closer, reaching out to place her hand on Quinn's shoulder.

The blonde mass flinched, emitting a small sob in return. Santana recoiled briefly, looking back up at Britt who had just returned with a large blanket. Quinn made a slight whimpering noise, causing Britt to squeak, her face contorting to an expression of concern as tears began to form in her eyes.

Santana looked back down at Quinn, grasping blindly for the blanket Britt had dropped before easing the material up Quinn's legs and covering her as best she could. She reached out once more, gently placing her hand on Quinn's shoulder and murmuring that they were there now and she would be ok.

This time Quinn didn't flinch. Her body somewhat relaxed and she raised her head, looking up at her two roommates. The look in her eyes was utterly devastating. Here she was, one of the toughest chicks Santana knew looking completely lost and broken, her eyes reflecting all of the vulnerability and hurt she probably felt at that moment.

Quinn took in her friends hovering over her before she tried to push herself up into a sitting position, all of her muscles aching already. She looked up into their eyes again, watching them widen in horror as they both finally got a good look at all of the red marking on her body. Brittney gasped, her eyes welling with fresh tears while Santana's jaw set, her lips tightening before trying to offer Quinn a small sad smile.

The love and concern on both of their faces caused a fresh wave of tears to start to well up in Quinn's eyes before she allowed herself to collapse into Santana's lap, sobbing as the Latina wrapped her arms around her trembling body. Britt crouched down, getting in on the group hug and allowing Quinn to cry, neither girl moving or pressuring her to talk as they comforted her, gently stroking her hair and holding her until the tears subsided.

x-x-x-x-x-x

After what seemed like an eternity to Rachel, her phone began to ring, causing her to jump and her heart began to race as she slipped back outside and answered the call from Santana.

Initially, Rachel wanted to badger her with questions and lecture her on how she should have gotten back to her sooner, but Santana clipped her train of thought before she could even start, "I know what you're going to say, so you might as well save your breath Chief."

"How is she?" Rachel asked softly, not sure if she truly wanted the answer given Puck's reaction to the situation.

She heard Santana sigh lightly before explaining, "Honestly, not great. Physically she's fine. Sore and she'll probably have some bruising but fine. Emotionally, she's a wreck. She really hasn't said a whole lot, but the look in her eyes says it all." She went on to explain how it had taken forever to coax Quinn up out of her position on the living room floor and into her room, Quinn refusing Santana's suggestion of taking a hot shower to relax a bit and instead agreeing to put on some pajamas and allowing Britt to snuggle in bed with her for a while.

"What has she said?"

"Well, she asked where Puck was and what she did or said that made him snap like that, but otherwise nothing really. When we found her she was naked and terrified and she had this look in her eyes, this broken and hollow look. Scared the shit out of me." Santana paused briefly and shuddered at the thought. "So now it's my turn. Where the fuck is Puckerman?" her voice turning hard and angry at the mention of his name.

Rachel chose her words carefully, trying not to further enrage the already irate Latina, "Currently he's here with Finn. They're going over the whole night and Finn is trying to figure out what to do next. He'll probably end up staying over here for a while."

"You bet your ass he is!" Santana growled into the phone, "We come in here and find our best friend looking like she had been attacked and then find out it was her own fucking husband who did this to her! Yeah, he's not welcome back here for a good long while, at least until he gets his shit figured out and she is willing to see him again."

"I know better than to make excuses for what he did but I think there may be something bigger going on with him right now. From what Quinn has told me about his behavior over the past week, I'm starting to suspect something's wrong internally."

"He's fucking insane, that's what he is! That motherfucker will be lucky if I don't beat him to death the next time I see him."

"Santana, calm down a bit. Don't get Quinn or Britt all riled up again. Finn has made it very clear that the first thing they are doing tomorrow is heading down to the VA hospital to get Puck a psych eval and get him in to see a therapist. He made some comments about having nightmares and flashbacks of their most recent mission and given Quinn's comments about his anxiety, complete disinterest in almost everything, and withdrawal from her and their relationship, I would say it sounds like he has a pretty serious case of PTSD." Rachel speculated.

"PTS – come again?" Santana asked, genuinely confused as to where this was all going.

"PTSD. It stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's a psychological condition that usually occurs after someone has experienced severe trauma or a traumatic experience, like being in the center of an attack or seeing the things the guys had over in Afghanistan. There are tons of varied symptoms but Puck's seem like the most common."

"When the hell did you quit your day job to become a psychiatrist?"

"Sarcasm aside, I didn't as you say 'quit my day job.' I used this fancy tool called a computer and pulled up this equally helpful site called Google. You should really give it a try some time," she chided, knowing it would piss Santana off to no extent when she questioned her intelligence.

"Ok, smartass. Did you look that up just now?"

"Honestly, Finn had been having some nightmares about their last mission as well when he came home. While his symptoms were not nearly as bad as Puck's, I went online and researched it a bit to see what I could do to help. Some cases are worse than others as everyone's experiences and reactions to traumatic events vary. But given what Puck saw and dealt with over there, especially with that little boy? Oh geeze, I couldn't imagine being there for that." Rachel sighed sadly.

"Wait, what little boy? I am so damn lost right now." Santana murmured, realizing her voice had gotten louder throughout the conversation.

Rachel quickly gave Santana a quick run-down of what Finn had told her about the mission and subsequent ambush, detailing how Puck had been the one to take-down the man responsible and he how the terrorists had detonated a car bomb in front of a school building, killing multiple soldiers, children and civilians in the process. She explained how Finn told her that Vargas had mentioned the little boy Puck tried to save in their post-action report but the little boy did not survive the attack, instead bleeding to death in the street.

Once Rachel was finished, Santana felt as though she was rooted to the spot, her face a perfect reflection of the shock she felt over hearing such terrible news. She tried to imagine the whole scene in her head but there was no way she could begin to fathom how the people involved must have felt. After a few beats she finally responded, "Wow. Um, yeah I could see how that would royally fuck someone up."

"Well, while it doesn't excuse his behavior toward Quinn by any means, I know he can get some help for it if it is in fact PTSD. In the meantime, keep a good eye on Quinn and keep her company for a while. I'll be over tomorrow and I know you'll take good care of her, but you know…just watch out for her?"

"You got it Mighty Mouse," Santana replied to the request before Rachel heard the unmistakable click of the phone being disconnected.

She looked down at the receiver on her phone before shaking her head. _I've really got to teach that girl how to end a conversation properly, _Rachel thought as she set her phone down and went back into the living room to rejoin the boys.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Puck was rather reluctant to go into the VA hospital with Finn. Granted, both men have to go get a physical anyway but he is just worried about this damn psych eval the Hudsons were forcing him to do. He was scared that they will not let him return to be with his unit or kick him out of the Army if they deem him to be 'crazy' in any way, shape or form.<p>

However, once Finn told him that Rachel and Santana had spoken the night before and that Santana was refusing to let him get near Quinn until he got himself straightened out, he relented. The Army and his job were important to him but he loved his wife and she was by far the most important thing in his life. He made a vow and he would be damned if he went back on his word.

And honestly, after the nightmare he had last night, he knew he needed to talk to somebody and get some help or this thing would haunt him forever. Last night's dream was even worse than the previous dreams he had been having. It was like he was reliving his whole time in Afghanistan only instead of the little boy dying on him, it had been Quinn lying on the street bleeding. What was even worse was the fact that it was his doing. He had woken himself up 3 times and every time he fell back asleep he was met with the same horror until he finally decided to can the sleeping idea, opting to go for a super early morning run instead.

After he and Finn were checked out by the general physician and participate in a quick PT regimen, Finn escorts Puck down to the psychology department and asked if there was a counselor free that morning. The men were in luck and Puck was able to get right in, Finn promising he would wait outside until he was done.

The first few moments were a bit tenuous, Puck simply staring at the female Naval officer who was patiently waiting for him to open up and talk about what was going on. When Puck hadn't offered any information, the doctor started off asking a few "softball" questions, just to get the conversation flowing a bit. She asked him where he was from and what he did in the military, where he had been stationed and for how long, and then asked him a few finer points about his job in the military and the kinds of missions he had participated in.

She assured him she had a top security clearance so he could discuss some of the more classified portions of his missions with her so he did. He opened up a bit and told her about the kinds of incursions they ran and the types of things they saw, being purposefully vague as he did not quite trust the good doctor just yet. That was, until she went ahead and pulled up his file, paying special attention to the last mission his unit ran before returning to the states for mandatory R&R.

He could tell by the look on her face that she had just reviewed the after action report when he saw her expression flicker a bit. He knew what it said and how bad it sounded. He was a failure. He had that man in his grasp and yet he still was able to set off the car bomb that killed tons of people. He hadn't been able to save the little boy who had been begging for Puck to help him. And worst of all, he had passed out before he could get to anyone else and help. He fucking passed out. Everything he had trained for, everything he promised he would do as a soldier of the US Army he seemed to fail at. He failed to aid those in need, he failed to help cover and defend his fellow soldiers and he failed to protect everyone around from the threat that man posed.

Before he knew what really happened, all of his doubts, fears and emotions came spilling out of his mouth, catching the psychologist off guard momentarily while Puck spilled his guts. He told her all about the nightmares and anxiety, the flashbacks and the complete depression he felt at times. She tried her damndest to assure him that it wasn't his fault, that there are evil people in this world and that thanks to all of the intelligence they had gathered and the caverns and buildings they had raided prior to that particular mission they had probably thwarted several other horrifying instances of senseless violence.

When it looked like Puck had finished his piece for the day, the doctor noticed the tattoo around his finger, deciding to go ahead and ask him if he had talked to his wife about everything he had just told her, earning a headshake in the negative. She asked if his wife even knew what had happened during his deployment at all. Once again, she was met with a headshake. She finally opted to ask a more dangerous question, realizing the answer could come out a bit more volatile than she was really going for that day. She asked him how his relationship was with his wife.

Puck's gaze had been trained at the floor the whole time the doctor had asked questions about Quinn, trying to keep his emotions in check. Yet her last question was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. He could feel the heat burn behind his eyes as he recalled the previous night, his hands trembling , his back rigid and his throat going dry.

The psychologist noticed the change in his posture and body language, telling him that he could trust her and that she just wanted to help. Puck stared back up at her briefly, a hot tear escaping the corner of his eye as he gave in, telling her all about what happened the night before. He realized that he could possibly be facing domestic violence charges by admitting to essentially assaulting his wife but he didn't know what else to do. The look in Quinn's eyes last night just about killed him and he would do anything, everything he could to make sure he never saw that look again.

To his surprise the doctor simply sat there and took it all in, not glaring at him like the monster he felt he was. Once he was finished getting everything off of his chest, the doctor explained that she suspected he had acute stress disorder, more commonly referred to as post traumatic stress disorder, and told him that it was rather common for soldiers who had seem extreme combat situations these days.

Before he could ask what that meant, she went ahead and quelled his fears, notifying him that although this visit would be logged in his record, it would not say for what and that legally the military could not hold a soldier back or kick them out for seeking help for something the military had a hand in doing in the first place. She told him that she would like to continue seeing him a few more times before he headed back to Afghanistan as well, telling him that the best way to start feeling better was usually to get it off of your chest and talk with someone about it.

He stood up and politely thanked her for getting him in that day, assuring her that he did in fact feel better just getting everything out in the open. She told him that it may not feel like it, but the nightmares and the flashbacks would go away eventually and that if they were still persisting after the next week, they may try a different alternative to just therapy.

He told her that talking it out truly did make him feel better about the whole situation and that he would just have to figure out a way to make amends with his wife. She simply smiled and told him that one of the best ways to help his marriage was to let her in and talk about what happened and what he experienced the night before with her. She said Quinn was probably confused as to what happened and that it could put her to ease to know what was going on with Puck instead of continuing to shut her out. He smiled and shook her hand, telling her he would be back soon and left to find Finn.

As the two men walked out of the hospital that day, Puck felt marginally better as it felt as though a small weight had been lifted off of his back for the time being. He still felt guilty as hell and didn't quite know what to do about the situation with Quinn but he would seriously consider what the doctor had said about talking it all out with her. He was terrified she would see it as an excuse instead so he wasn't completely sold on that idea but he would keep it in mind.

The men loaded up and Finn took Puck back to Rachel's uncle's place to rest, thinking a baseball game or two on TV would help relax both men for a while.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Meanwhile, while the boys tended to their appointments at the VA, Rachel headed over to Quinn, Santana and Britt's house, hoping Quinn would be in the mood to talk a bit about what happened. She wasn't going to push her but she was hoping the blonde would decide to open up a little bit and let her in.

As soon as she arrived, she noticed Britt pulling out of the drive, quickly explaining that she had to go home that weekend for a prior family engagement and apologized profusely for not being able to stay longer. Rach gave her a soft smile and told her she understood before Britt continued to back down the drive and head off toward the interstate. She eased the front door open, calling out to Santana and Quinn while she invited herself in.

She found both girls in the kitchen, Quinn seated at the table picking at her food while Santana stood behind the counter, trying to coax her to eat more. Quinn looked up as she walked in, Rachel offering her a small smile as she approached and sat at the table, graciously refusing the breakfast Santana offered her in the process.

Rachel and Santana made a bit of small talk for a while, both girls hoping Quinn will eventually come around and talk a little bit about what happened but she was completely mum. After a solid 10 minutes of her silence, Rachel decided to go for it and leaned over, placing her hand over Quinn's and asked her if she wanted to talk about anything.

Quinn's eyes grew hot and she could feel the tears begin to well up again, deciding that her friends deserved to know what really went down. She suspected both of them knew a bit about what happened, since Puck was currently staying with Rachel and Finn but she was really surprised that neither girl seemed really shocked by her revelation when she started spilling all of the details.

Instead, she saw understanding and sympathy written across both of her friends faces. For as much crap as she had given and received from both of the girls in front of her over the years, they were truly concerned for her and supported her during all of the ups and downs of her life and there was no way she could ever repay them for their love, kindness and generosity.

The look on Quinn's face was almost more than Rachel could take, causing the brunette to stand and round the table, pulling the blonde in for a hug before asking her if Puck had talked to her about anything that had happened and how he felt, both about the deployment and his time home. Quinn said he hadn't, recalling how he refused to really talk about anything that was bothering him, especially the nightmares.

Rachel began to describe a little bit about what Finn had told her, recounting something similar to the story she told Santana the previous night and watching as Quinn's eyes widened in horror, especially when she mentioned the little boy and the weeping mother. Quinn had thought she had cried all of the saline out of her body over the past several hours but she realized she was wrong, feeling the prick of a fresh new wave of tears come to the surface as she listened intently to Rachel.

Once she was finished telling Quinn all she knew and had been privy to about the boys' deployment, she turned to Santana, who stood behind the kitchen counter listening intently, and asked if she had a computer or laptop she could borrow for a second. The Latina strode in to the living room, grabbing her laptop from a side table before booting up and passing it to Rachel, taking a place behind the other two girls to see just what Rachel was looking up.

Rachel pulled up a few websites, turning the computer toward Quinn as she explained what she thinks Noah is going through. Her phone buzzes quietly and her theory was confirmed, having received a text message from Finn letting her know what Puck had mentioned as they left the VA. She scrolls through a few of the websites, explaining that she found that the symptoms had varied quite a bit from person to person but that Puck's manifestations of his symptoms seemed to be spot-on for PTSD.

She also pulled up a webpage that the women from the Ft. Drum support group had made as a means of staying connected and providing information of all kinds for spouses and family, most of them detailing how to deal with the stresses and pressures of being married to someone in that particular occupation. Quinn tried her best to wrap her mind around what was going on with Puck but it was tough, considering he was the strongest guy she knew and couldn't figure out why he didn't want to open up and be honest with her about what was going on.

She had Rachel tab a few of the websites and promised she would look over them later, needing a bit of time to process all of the information she just had shoved down her throat. Rachel decided it was time for her to go, causally mentioning that Puck was ok and that he was staying at their house for a while, adding in that he was seeing someone at the VA and was getting help. She said her goodbyes and left Santana and Quinn to continue looking into all of the information she had provided them with.

Once Rachel left, San and Quinn spent a considerable amount of time researching what this PTSD was, and more importantly, what Quinn could do to help her husband. She decided to call up the shrink her mom saw for a while after her nasty split from Quinn's father, needing to ask a few questions and hopefully get some answers.

Luckily, after a few rings the psychiatrist picked up, greeting Quinn kindly before asking her what was up. Quinn brought her up to speed, talking through everything that happened and asking what she could do to help. The shrink offered quite a few helpful tips, encouraging Quinn to continue looking into different methods while still keeping in mind that this was Puck's fight and he needed to continue to help himself get better as well. She stressed that it was not Quinn's fault this all happened and her door or phone line was always open if she needed to talk more.

Quinn hung up and went back inside the house, armed with a new determination to figure out the best way she could help Puck feel better and so she could get her husband back. During the conversation with the psychiatrist, she found herself far more concerned about what was going on inside his head as opposed to what had really happened the night before.

Sure, she had been scared when he snapped and reacted like that and was absolutely terrified when he had his hand around her neck, squeezing the air out of her lungs. But she knew from the moment she met his gaze that something was off, and now she felt bad about pushing him so hard to sleep with her. She understood that she may have triggered his reaction to a degree and for that she felt guilty, but she also understood that there were other factors at play as well, ones she couldn't have controlled even if she tried.

She wandered around the house, finding it completely silent and noticing Santana had left a note explaining that she would be at the gym for a while. Quinn was thankful for the peace and quiet as she set out to continue her research and make a few phone calls to Mrs. Wilson or other members of the Ft. Drum support group. They would hopefully know what to do.

* * *

><p>It had been several days since Puck had stepped foot inside that brick, three bedroom Ranch style home Quinn, Santana and Brittney called home. A little over a week to be exact.<p>

Earlier that day, he and Finn found out that their medical releases had been denied, along with Sgt. Vargas and Tex, as the men were deemed unfit to return to the field just yet. Finn's shoulder had been healing just fine but his collarbone was still only about 70%. Tex's concussion and blown ear drum had been giving him balance problems over their leave and Vargas was still recovering from his burns.

Puck's leg had been healing well enough but his head and his heart were still a bit messed up. Seeing the shrink was helping immensely and Puck had been feeling much better but there was still a gaping hole in his life that only Quinn could fill, and not having seen her in over a week since that fateful night was practically killing him.

He felt fortunate that they tacked on an extra week and a half to allow them all to recover, giving them until August 1 to be with their family and giving Puck a little over 2 weeks to make amends with his wife. He needed everything to be ok before he headed back to Afghanistan or he feared he would be too distracted to do his job. The problem was, he still wasn't quite sure what he could do to make everything better again.

As he stood there staring at the front door, he couldn't help but feel incredibly thankful for his friends and family for being so supportive during this whole thing. He had gone to visit his family a few times over leave and was happy his mother had been as supportive as she had, encouraging her son to get whatever help he needed and letting him know she would be there for him no matter what.

He also felt incredibly blessed to have people like Finn and Rachel in his life as well. They had practically been his lifeline over the past week and he wasn't quite sure what he would have done without them and their support. And finally, he was incredibly thankful to Santana and Britt for stepping up and supporting Quinn during this whole mess. Santana had been fiercely protective of her friend over the past week and had let him know more than once that she would come after him if he ever hurt her.

That was exactly why he was unbelievably surprised to receive a text from Britt letting him know she and San were leaving for the night and that Quinn was home alone. He was thrilled at the subtle subtext letting him know that he could go visit her that night if he was ready. Yet, Santana sent him a text shortly thereafter letting him know that they were only a block away and that they if they even got the hunch something was wrong they would be back in a heartbeat, sending him a warning shot to be on his best behavior.

While he really wanted to see her and try to apologize, and he really needed some fresh clean clothes, he was secretly terrified that she would serve him with divorce papers as soon as he set foot in the door. He loved his wife more than anything and while he would be completely destroyed if she did choose to leave him, he would respect that and knew he would do anything just to make sure she was happy and ok.

He steeled himself against his fears and took a deep breath, taking the few steps up the pathway toward the front porch and letting himself inside.

x-x-x-x-x

Quinn heard the front door open and close quietly, heavy footsteps tenuously making their way into the interior rooms of the house. She glances up from her position at the kitchen table, her view partially obscured by her laptop screen in front of her.

Finally, the footsteps reach the kitchen area and Puck peeked his head around the corner to see where she was. He offers her a slight sad smile and a brief 'hey,' waiting to see what she would do. It was as though Quinn could sense it was him coming through the door as soon as he walked in but she wasn't quite prepared for what she saw when he rounded the corner.

His face looked gaunt and his eyes looked sullen as he took her in across the room, his lack of sleep blatantly obvious. He tried to muster a smile in her direction but it looked sad and pained, the corners of his mouth tight as he tried to hold her gaze as long as possible before he quickly glanced away. He looked completely downtrodden and it absolutely broke Quinn's heart to see him this way.

She was so shocked and taken back by his appearance that she simply stared at him for a few moments before her silence was too much for Puck to take, murmuring that he was going to grab a quick shower and some clean clothes as he looked away from the blonde sitting across the kitchen from him.

He turned away shut his eyes tightly, coming to terms with the fact that she obviously did not want to speak to him and that just about killed him. He trudged into Quinn's room and closed the door gently, readying himself for an onslaught of emotions after seeing her just now. He turned the shower on and stepped under the spray, hoping the warm water would help wash away all of the pain.

x-x-x-x

Quinn was genuinely stunned. Rachel had told her he was doing better so it was a surprise to see him looking the way he did. She had seen the pained look in his expression and the tightness in his jaw as he looked at her, so much love yet so much turmoil behind his eyes. She could tell the distance between them had taken a toll on him as well and she had barely registered that he was actually here and was trying to make an effort by the time he had turned around and walked out.

She hadn't said one word to him while he stood there. She had just stared at him, and while it was mostly in shock, he probably took it as though she hated him at the moment. Dammit! Now she could just kick herself for her inaction. She wanted to talk to him, wanted to get through this rough patch but she knew he probably needed a little coaxing from her end as well. Rachel had told her a few times over the past week that he was doing well, seeing a therapist and working out all of his hang-ups from his deployment but the brunette did also say he was still having trouble coming to terms with what had happened between the two of them that night a week ago and that he was still beating himself up over everything.

She wanted, no needed to show him that she was fine and that she still loved him. She wanted him to open up to her and allow her to comfort him and to be there for him. But she knew he wouldn't want to burden her any more than he thought he already had. She knew he felt he was skating on thin ice with her, even if he was far from it, and that he would be extremely cautious while he was around her.

She was going to have to be the one to make the move. She was determined to help him and honestly she was a bit curious to see if what she read in several articles was true, that human touch increases endorphins and that it helps people feel safe, secure and comforted. The article gave examples of babies feeling comforted when their mothers held them against their chest and cuddled them or simply when people exchanged hugs they would feel a spike in positive energy and would instantly feel better. Then she read an article solely devoted to relationships and she was sold, hoping their theory worked as she closed her laptop and made her way into her bedroom.

Quinn stripped down and calmly slid the shower door open, stepping in behind Puck and gazing across the tan expanse of skin, his forehead against the tile wall as he balanced himself and let the water flow over his head and his back. The muscles in his back tightened and released as she entered but he didn't glance back once as she closed the door behind her.

All Quinn wanted to do is soothe his pain and to let him know she's there, this time not hesitating to make contact as she wraps her arms around his waist, placing a small kiss between his shoulder blades and holding her head against his back. She stayed that way for several minutes, holding him and placing small butterfly kisses across his shoulders, until he finally broke the silence and spoke up.

"Quinn, I am so sorry," he murmured quietly, his muscles starting to tremble under her touch. "I don't – I can't – I just."

"Shh," she soothed as she kissed his shoulder again, "it's ok, I'm here. You can tell me anything."

He had tried to fight it, tried not to burden or worry her with his pain and guilt but it felt so good to have her here with him again. "I don't even know where to begin," he said, his voice rough with emotion, "Everything really happened so fast. I should have been able to stop it. I could have taken him out before he could have done anything."

"Who is this 'him'?" She asked, hoping he would start from the beginning.

He exhaled a heavy breath before continuing, "Our mission was supposed to be simple recon, get in and out with the information and be done with it. However, we hadn't counted on the target location being as fortified as it was. Our team and two other teams were making our way toward the location when Hunt came over the radio, telling us a man had stepped out of the building and was looking down in the direction of the other two teams. He was holding a device so Parker chose to act. I followed and took the man out, pinning him to the ground. I thought I had him immobile but I was wrong. He wriggled a bit and was able to press the button," he shook his head, trying not to recall the grisly images that came flooding back to the forefront of his mind, "and it detonated a massive car bomb. Two to be exact."

Quinn gently nodded her head, continuing to nuzzle his back while he talked.

"The bombs were placed outside of a school, the two other teams in between the cars and the building. When they exploded, the whole ground shook, bits and pieces of building and flaming metal being thrown everywhere." He paused, swallowing a lump in his throat before continuing after Quinn murmured a quiet 'go on.' "After the dust started to settle, all I could see was rubble and destruction. Bodies everywhere covered in blood. And when I looked back down at the man, that fucker had the smuggest grin on his face, almost reveling in what he had just done," he growled through clenched teeth, anger seeping through his body.

"God Puck, I'm so sorry."

His muscles in his back tightened again as he raised his hand up, bracing himself against the shower wall, "After I restrained him, I went to help the others pull the wounded out from under the rubble. I heard a child cry and I rushed to help him, putting pressure on the massive wound but it was no use." Puck swallowed again and pounded his head on the shower wall a few times, "He died right in front of me, Quinn. He was just a child and I should have been able to help him, that's what the Army is supposed to do over there, help people… but I couldn't."

"Puck, that's not your fault. It may feel like it now but it's not."

"I just – I saw his mother run up to his body and cradle him in her arms and her cries, her wails over her son… still haunt me to this day. I tried to move away and go help the others but my fucking leg injury caused me to pass out before I could do anything. I could have helped more people. I could have saved some of those men."

"Sweetheart, you don't know that. You did everything you could and it's not your fault."

"So many people died but I didn't. So many people were injured far worse than I was, but I made it out ok. I wanted to help, I tried to help but I couldn't do anything. But the worst part of the whole thing is that –" Puck choked back a strangled sob before wiping a hand down his face, "The worst part is that I was lucky and I came back in one piece. But when I came back, I still managed to hurt the one person I care about most in this world. I couldn't control myself and I ended up practically attacking my wife of all people. The one person who has always been there and loved me through everything and I go and do that to her," he finished, his body trembling as the tears he had been trying so hard to hold back finally started falling down his cheeks.

Hearing his voice break and watching his body shake just about did Quinn in, a few tears escaping her eyes before she wiped them away, resolute to stay strong in front of him right now. She caressed his stomach, gently nudging him to turn and face her before moving her hand up to his cheek, cupping his jaw. "Puck, you didn't hurt me. Look," she said, tipping his face up to meet hers, "I'm fine. You startled me a little bit, but honestly I was more worried about what was going on with you. You seemed so hurt and lost when you came back and I wanted to try and make everything better. If anything, I pushed you a bit too far. But baby, you didn't hurt me."

Puck caught her eye briefly before averting his gaze, feeling that she was just trying to placate him by telling him she was fine. "Yeah, but I know I scared you and knowing that I did that and seeing the look in your eyes afterward... I just – I could barely live with myself over the past few days."

She pulls her hands away from his chest and spreads them out, "See? I'm ok. I'm still here and I will always be here." She moves back in closer to him, placing her hands on his chest as she leans in and kisses him on his left pec muscle, right over his heart. "No matter what happens, I have and will always love you. You are a good man with a good heart and I never want you to forget that. I know you're going through a rough time right now, but I will always support you and we will get through this together. I love you, Puck."

He nods his head as Quinn continues to hold him and nuzzle his chest. After standing there for a few more moments, Quinn steps back and looks up at him, "Do you trust me?"

His 'yes' comes out as a whisper and Quinn reaches behind him, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower, grabbing two big bath towels for the both of them. She hands one to him and lets him towel off in the shower while she steps out and quickly towels herself off, wrapping it around her bust and stepping into her room, extending her hand out for him to take. He slings the towel around his waist and takes her hand, following her as she leads him to the bed.

She turns him to face her and gently nudges him to sit on the edge, gazing down at him and biting her lip before asking him again if he trusts her. He looks up into her eyes, eyes tired and weary as he nods his head yes. She feels terrible seeing that persistent sad look in his eyes, knowing she was partially responsible for putting it there. He was going through a traumatic time and she practically attacked, trying to force herself on him after he had asked her to stop multiple times. He reacted quickly, scaring her and startling himself and maybe if she hadn't had pushed so hard, they wouldn't be in this position right now, but they were. She knew she would give anything to make that hurt and pain go away.

Slowly, she unfastened the towel around her bust and lets it slide to the floor, pooling at her feet. She was standing no more than a few feet from him and he couldn't help letting his eyes wander, taking a long look at her from her feet all the way up to her eyes, drinking her in. She takes a couple steps toward him and places her hands on his shoulders. He pulls back a bit, looking away and shaking his head before whispering, "I can't Quinn – I can't hurt you again."

She takes another step forward, placing one knee up on the mattress on the side of his leg and wrapping a hand around the back of his neck, the other hands drifting up as she takes her finger and places it against his lips. "Shhh, just trust me."

He nods hesitantly and looks back up into her eyes. She pulls the other leg up, her knee hitting the mattress as she straddles him and encircles his waist with her legs, lowering herself to sit on his lap. She snakes an arm around his neck, the other arm encircling his shoulders as she pulls herself up closer to him, holding her body flush against his. "I just want to hold you," she murmurs, "you won't hurt me. I promise."

She lets a hand slowly caress his back, touching and soothing him as she holds him, feeling his breathing and heartbeat calm as she remains wrapped around him. She didn't make any sudden movements or say anything for a long while, simply holding him and caressing his skin, allowing the both of them to revel in the feeling of being wrapped around one another again.

This wasn't about sex. This was about comfort and trust. Being completely exposed and holding one another, skin to skin, exponentially increases endorphins according to the article, and makes each of the individuals feel closer and safer, helping ease the tension and worry from the body. The simplest touch and feel of skin was speculated to help increase trust and love in a relationship, and right here and now, Quinn could vouch for its soothing power.

After a few minutes, Puck reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her and clasping them around her torso as he pulled them impossibly closer to one another, every inch from their faces to their lower torsos touching. As they sat there, he felt some of the weight lift off of his shoulders and some of the guilt, anger and sadness seemed to just slip away as he held his wife in his arms. The same wife he practically attacked the other night. The same wife that stood naked in front of him just now and wrapped herself around him, solely in an effort to comfort him and show him she trusted him not to hurt her.

x-x-x-x

They sat there for a long time, holding each other close as Quinn whispered small words and phrases of love into his ear, telling him how much she loves him and that she's sorry he's hurting as badly as he is. Her fingers slowly knead into his back, massaging his muscles as her fingers travel the length of his spine and neck. He nuzzles his nose into her neck, stroking her back and hair as he holds her tightly.

They don't know how long they had been sitting like this, it could have been five minutes, it could have been an hour, but with every passing second, they can feel the tension dissipating all around them while their need for one another beings to grow stronger.

Quinn kissed his neck and then his cheek, moving further up and cradling his head near her shoulder and chest while she slides slightly forward, pressing herself into his chest more. Her lips travel to his temple, barely brushing against it as she runs her nails across his head, the short, velvety hairs tingling with her touch. She pulls back slightly to kiss him gently on the forehead, before lowering her head and placing her forehead against his, closing her eyes as she breathed him in.

He opens his eyes and watches her as she leans her forehead against his, her soft lips parted slightly and her eyes closed as her fingers continue to stroke his back. He lifts a hand from her lower back and brings it up to her cheek, brushing a few hairs behind her ear and caressing her jaw with his thumb. Every nerve ending and fiber of his being were tuned in to her – her sweet scent, the softness and glow of her skin, the even cadence of her breathing, the soothing feel of her fingertips tracing along his shoulders.

Her eyes flitter open and he finds himself getting lost in those deep green pools. She is so perfect to him and has been so trusting and patient and loving toward him when he knows he hasn't deserved it. Now, sitting here like this, holding her and feeling her heart beat against his chest, appreciating the love and tenderness with which she touches him stirs something inside of him. While he wants to go slowly, not wanting to scare or hurt her again, longing ripples through his body and his need for her begins to overwhelm him a bit, his desire growing under the towel as she sits astride his legs.

She can feel him under her and can tell by the look of caution and reserve in his eyes that he is trying to hold back as best he can. While she never intended tonight to be about anything other than getting him to open up and allow her to comfort him, her own body begins to respond to his. The need and desire for him begins to pool low in her stomach as he continues to stare up into her eyes. Puck moved forward slightly, waiting for her to give him a sign that it's ok to connect their lips. She noticed his movement and eased her head forward, closing her eyes and connecting their lips in a soft kiss, tentative but lingering as their lips melded against one another for the first time in a seeming long while.

Their kiss is gentle yet electric, holding so much emotion and passion that neither wants to pull away until air becomes a necessity. She gently pulls away, looking down at him to gauge his reaction, the hollow look in his eyes replaced by want and love instead. She could feel the hard calluses of his palms caressing her back, the rough stubble of his jaw against her cheek as she relished the sheer power and masculinity this man possessed.

He looks up at her, taking in her pouty lips and that soul-searing gaze that melts his heart every time their eyes meet. Quinn brought her left hand up to his face, the cool metal of her wedding band brushing lightly across his cheek before he watches her lean in to kiss him again. Their mouths meet and his tongue traces her bottom lip begging for entrance, which she gladly gives. So they sit there, Quinn straddling Puck, holding each other close while they kiss, their lips sliding unhurried along one another as their tongues dance in a familiar rhythm, light moans and groans escaping as they continue to embrace.

Emboldened by his obvious arousal underneath her bottom, Quinn pulls her hand away from where it was clasped on Puck's shoulder, dragging it slowly down his chest and stomach until she reaches his towel. She sits up slightly, giving her hand a bit more room between them as she delicately unclasps his towel, the cotton material sliding down his legs leaving him completely exposed.

She pulls back from the kiss and looks into his eyes, his expression soft yet cautious as her fingers trail down the rest of his stomach and brush up against him. He shivers at her touch, cradling her neck and head as he never breaks their gaze, her eyes tentative but trusting as she positions herself a bit higher, her center grazing him slightly.

He traces her kiss-swollen lips with his thumb, Quinn kissing the pad of his finger lightly as it passes over. Her hair falls gently all around her shoulders and back, creating an ethereal halo of sorts and he swore he had never seen something so pure and beautiful in his life as his wife, sitting on top of him looking like an angel. Her soft eyes melt away all of the cold and tension within him as her gaze never strays from his own.

"Are you sure?" he whispers.

She gave him a small smile and bit her bottom lip, nodding slightly as she leaned forward and touched her lips to his, slowly lowering her hips down on to him. The sensation is almost more than both of them can handle as Puck fills her completely. A soft moan escapes her lips and she allows her eyes to flutter closed momentarily before forcing them open, willing herself to watch his expression the whole time.

Quinn brought her hand up and caressed his cheek, their foreheads together as she slowly starts to move up and down on him, creating that delicious friction she had missed so much while he was gone. His eyes seem to glaze over as he watches her move over him, a groan escaping his throat as he leans forward to capture her lips again.

They move in sync with one another, never breaking the gentle, leisurely pace they set together as they savor the feeling of being so impossibly close to one another, delighting in the incredible sensations of their bodies wrapped around one another. Puck has always selfishly felt that God created Quinn specifically for him, as it feels like she fits him like a glove every time they make love. But holding her now and watching her move up and down on him, her lips parting slightly as her back arches in pleasure, he is absolutely convinced that God actually intended for her to be an angel, one that was ultimately sent down from Heaven to save his soul.

Quinn can feel her stomach tighten and her legs tremble as Puck continues to rock up into her. After all that they had been through recently, seeing the complete look of love and happiness on his face mixed with the powerful revelations the two of them had experienced in the shower earlier caused a lump of emotion to form in her throat.

She clutched him tightly and buried her face into his neck, white spots dancing behind her eyelids as she sank back down onto him one last time when she finally fractured, her mouth open in a silent cry as deep shudders wracked her body. Wave after wave of sensation hit Puck, pushing him over the edge as well, leaving the couple clutching one another and panting, trying to catch their breath.

After a few moments, Puck felt a warm drip on his shoulder. He pulled back slightly to see Quinn's eyes full of tears, her hand moving to furiously swipe them away.

"Hey, baby what's wrong?"

"It's just, I love you so much and I'm really glad to have you back," she sighed, offering him a watery smile as he brushed away some of the tears with his thumb.

Puck didn't miss the double meaning behind her statement, a small smile coming to his lips as he leaned up and captured her mouth with his, "It's really good to be back. I missed you."

She nodded gently before he leaned her back onto the bed, joining her under the covers and wrapping her up in his arms, glad to finally be home. He placed a chaste kiss on top of her head, "I love you, Quinn." She kissed his chest softly, snuggling closer to him as their heart rates began to even out.

They quickly drifted off to sleep, perfectly content in their own little world, neither one of them leaving the other's side. They slept peacefully throughout the night, marking the first night without the tossing and turning of nightmares in very long time.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__Thank you so much for all of you who stuck by me through this two-parter. It was a tough chapter to write and I am so thrilled to receive such a positive response to the last chapter! 110+ Reviews! I am so thankful for all of your support, reviews, alerts and favorite story ads! You guys are amazing, thank you so much._

_Now for those of you who may have been wondering, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a very real problem for the men and women coming back from overseas. They are often times, quite literally in the trenches, and they see and bear witness to some truly horrifying events. Many people have different reactions to traumatic events but the most common symptoms are anxiety/hypervigilance, detachment and possibly slight depression, substance abuse, nightmares and difficulty sleeping and flashbacks. _

_The US Armed Forces has finally recognized the problem and has been actively aiding those diagnosed with PTSD in getting the help they need without fear of repercussions from the military. Oftentimes, talking it out and getting some professional help works wonders, yet sometimes a bit more is needed. There are plenty of different methods that have been speculated to help people suffering from PTSD, but since the manifestations are different for every person, the treatments may vary as well. I recommend Googling it or looking it up somewhere to see the different ways you could help someone suffering from PTSD…I know it helped me out a lot _

_So, thanks again for your support and I swear I'm done with the Public Service Announcements. _

_**Next stop**, back to the real world for Quinn and back to Afghanistan for Puck and the Boys…_


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N:**__ I am so sorry it has taken forever to get this chapter out. School started back up and it's been a bit crazy, but I promise to try and get the next chapter out sooner rather than later. I also want to thank you all again for reading. Your reviews are amazing and mean so much! Thank you again. I know this story has gotten pretty long, and I've considered the idea of ending it soon and possibly doing a sequel to finish it out or I could just continue with this story, despite its length. I haven't quite decided yet. Thank you so much again!_

**Chapter 21**

While Puck and Quinn had reunited and made the best of their first night back together, they still knew they had a long way to go to get back to normal again.

Although the road to recovery was a bit rocky for a while after their initial reunion, they both wanted to make the most of Puck's remaining time back in the States until he had to return to active duty. Puck still attended sessions with the therapist at the VA and even took Quinn along with him a few times to continue to work on their communication issues. It ended up being a good opportunity to learn how to cope with Puck's job and the distance better than they had in the past.

Despite some initial setbacks and the occasional marital squabble they had while working on these communication skills, not including the few heated exchanges Puck had with a feisty Santana, the two of them thoroughly enjoyed being back together and spending time with one another again. Even though they only had a short while left before Puck and the boys went back to Afghanistan, they found themselves falling into an easy routine with one another. They had started looking into places to live near Ft. Drum for when Quinn would make the move up there after she graduated at the end of the semester and had even started picking out furniture and choosing colors for their new space together, wherever that ended up being.

They were also very grateful that they were able to celebrate their first wedding anniversary together as well. Initially, Puck's unit was supposed to be stationed overseas on their anniversary but given the medical leave and their subsequent return to the US, they were actually able to spend it together. Puck had wanted to do something special for Quinn both to show her how much he loved her and as a way of thanking her for supporting him throughout his deployment and the aftermath of his return, seeing as how they had spent almost their entire marriage apart up until now.

On their anniversary, Puck got up a bit earlier than Quinn, which wasn't too difficult considering he was usually up a little before the ass-crack of dawn anyway, and started preparing her favorite breakfast. After a considerable amount of prep-work and cooking, he loaded up a tray with a large platter of French Toast, scrambled cheese eggs, bacon (only for her, of course), two mugs of coffee, and a daisy he had picked from the neighbor's front yard to garnish the tray.

He made two extra plates, wrapping foil over the top and placing them in the warming drawer of the stove, leaving a note to let Santana and Britt know he made them breakfast too before picking up the tray and walking back into Quinn's bedroom. He wanted to do something nice for them as well for putting up with him invading their house for the past month and putting them through hell with the whole him and Quinn situation earlier. So he figured he would start by taking baby-steps and cater to their stomachs first, hoping they would see he was trying and making an effort.

He placed the tray on Quinn's side table before kissing her lips to rouse her. She barely moved, her head rolling back to the side before Puck continued to trail small kisses down her neck. He had just made it to the hollow of her throat when she let out a small giggle, running her fingertips through his short hair.

Puck leaned up and captured her lips, tracing her cheek with his thumb as she deepened the kiss. He pulled back and murmured "happy anniversary" against her lips, waiting for her to reciprocate the greeting before kissing her again. While he wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers and enjoy his wife, his stomach had other ideas, growling loudly and eliciting an almost musical laugh from Quinn.

He finally acquiesced to his stomach, turning her surprised attention to the breakfast spread he had brought her and the duo sat and munched for a while before Puck remembered his other surprise. He jumped out of bed and made his way to the kitchen, finding Santana and Brittney tucking into their food and thanking him with their mouths full before he waved at them, grabbing what he was looking for out of the fridge and walking back into Quinn's room.

He shut the door and had her hold the two wine goblets he had grabbed from the cupboard, popping the cork out of the bottle and pouring liberal amounts of champagne into each of their glasses. When Quinn questioned his desire to start drinking at 8am, he smiled and pulled out the bottle of orange juice, topping each of their glasses off and watching her raise the glass to her lips and taking a slow drink, appreciating her breakfast mimosa.

After the two of them had finished their breakfast and were both a bit buzzed after polishing off the large bottle of champagne and the rest of the OJ in the house, Puck went to shower while Quinn went to find her roommates to see what they were up to for the rest of the day. Once she found Santana and Britt hanging out in Britt's room, devious looks on both of their faces, she knew something was up.

Santana teased her a bit about hearing the two of them from across the entire house the night before. Even though she was married to the man who was rocking her world and all three of the girls living in the house had known each other and Puck for their entire lives, knowing that she had been loud enough for her roommates to hear was still a bit embarrassing.

Britt then tried to reassure her that it was totally normal and she jokingly told Quinn that they had actually gone out and purchased some ear plugs, nudging Quinn with her elbow before she produced a small blue bag and explained it was an anniversary gift from her and Santana. She prodded Quinn to open it right then so Quinn shifted the tissue paper out of the way to see what was hidden within. As soon as she saw what her friends had gotten her, the light pink in her cheeks turned to a deep red as she pulled out the contents of the bag: fuzzy handcuffs, alcohol-infused whipped cream, chocolate sauce, a set of dirty dice and a blindfold.

Santana started laughing as soon as she saw the discomfort on her friend's face, Brittney chiming in to let her know all of the items were tons of fun to play with and that she and Puck could take advantage of it that night, seeing as how Puck paid both Santana and Britt $50 a piece to stay somewhere else for the evening. Santana stopped laughing and glared at Britt, who realized she had said something she wasn't supposed to and tried to look away and glance around the room, hoping Quinn didn't catch that last part.

That was news to Quinn, who simply smiled smugly to herself, curious as to what her hubby had in store for that evening. She thanked her friends for the gift and wandered off to find Puck, hoping to sneak into the shower before he was done.

x-x-x-x-x

The rest of their anniversary was simply wonderful in Quinn's book. Puck had made reservations to spend the evening dining at the restaurant in the hotel where they had their wedding reception and the two of them enjoyed the wonderful food, great wine, and even better company as they danced the night away.

After the taxi dropped the couple off at home, Quinn made sure all of Puck's prior plans he had made for after dinner flew out the window when she decided to take a page from Santana's book of seduction, wanting to incorporate a few things her wonderful friends had given her earlier that morning. She hoped she wasn't coming on too strong but Puck never complained once, thoroughly enjoying the whole evening seeing as how the only thing coming out of his mouth were a series of grunts, groans and moans, followed by her name a few times.

It was a wonderful evening and one they would remember for a long time to come. Later, as she lay in his arms tracing nonsensical patterns with her fingertips along his chest while he dozed peacefully, Quinn tried to soak up the moment and commit everything about the night to memory.

Puck would be returning to base in a few days and would be back in Afghanistan by the end of the week, and while she wanted to stay wrapped in his arms forever, she knew he wouldn't know real inner peace until he faced his demons overseas and could come back saying he completed his mission in full when he returned.

x-x-x-x-x

While their goodbyes were always hard, especially knowing the boys were going back over to a war zone, Quinn and Puck kept reassuring each other and themselves that it was only a few more months before they would see each other again. When the guys first deployed, the idea of them being gone a whole year seemed daunting to say the least, but the more Quinn thought about it, she figured a few more months would be fairly manageable.

Puck and Finn assured their wives that they would be plenty distracted for the next few months and even joked that they probably wouldn't even miss them while they were gone. Rachel was headed back out on tour to finish the last leg of her "Rock of Ages" tour and Quinn would have her last semester of school to finish up so they both had enough on their plate to distract them, but they also knew it was impossible not to miss them while they were gone.

The guys headed off with a wave, leaving the girls standing there to watch the plane take off, waiting and staring intently until it became a tiny speck in the sky.

* * *

><p><em>Mid-October<em>

While their mission was, by no means, any easier than it had been prior to their impromptu leave, the infantry that had been able to roll through the area managed to clear a lot of the insurgents out of the region, sending them hightailing it into the hills and over into Pakistan. Their team's intelligence gathering had paid off after all, helping other Special Operations teams clear the area in their absence which in turn, allowed for the US Armed Forces to establish better security in the area.

Even though all of the men had been medically cleared for active duty, they all had a bit of a rough transition back. Puck's leg was feeling fine but he still found it getting sore and fatigued more often after longer days. Finn's shoulder was still giving him trouble too, but the men pulled through and allowed their mental toughness to overcome their physical discomfort.

While they were initially sent back to an area that was more secure than the last place they were fighting, it seemed as though no place was truly safe. More than once they found themselves embroiled in a firefight with local insurgents and luckily all of them had come out unscathed. Whether they were assisting and protecting the Navy SeaBees or the Army Corps of Engineers while they were drilling water wells or building new schools or facilities, trouble always seemed to follow them

After a long and draining month and a half, they were finally rewarded with their final papers, notifying them as to their final tasks and their departure date for when they would return home again. Though Puck and Quinn were able to stay in touch and Skype whenever they could, there was nothing quite like the thrill of finally being able to go home to his wife and stay there, hopefully getting started on making a life together with her instead of living two separate lives.

Finn was equally as excited to head home and see Rachel. The singer still had about a month left on her run in her "Rock of Ages" show and he felt very guilty that he had yet to see her perform. She had started the tour just before he left for Afghanistan a year ago, yet he was unable to catch a show due to his hectic schedule. Furthermore, when he was able to come home, it was due to injury and she took a month off to be with him, allowing her understudy to fill in for a few of the Canadian and West Coast dates.

After dinner one evening, Finn caught up with Puck and Tex as the men headed back to their barracks. "Hey Puck, wait up!"

Puck spun around and stopped, clapping his friend on the shoulder as he reached the two other men, "What's up chief?"

"So, quick question, have you told Quinn when our official discharge and arrival date is by chance?"

Puck thought about it for a second, scratching his head and trying to think back on his last conversation with Quinn. "Nah, not yet. We got those papers yesterday but I haven't been able to get a hold of her yet. I was going to try again tonight. Why?"

Finn broke out into a sly smile, quirking his eyebrow before replying, "Don't tell her yet, I have an idea."

Puck stared apprehensively at his friend, raising his eyebrows in question, "What is it? Wait, do I even want to know?"

Finn simply smiled as the men continued walking back to their barracks, making themselves comfortable on their racks before Finn started explaining his plan.

x-x-x-x-x

Quinn finally got a hold of Puck via Skype for the first time in about a week and was absolutely thrilled to see his face again. It was one thing to get an email or message from him, as it was better than nothing, but being able to talk to him and see for herself that he is ok meant the world to her. It was a huge relief that he was doing well but it was also somewhat of a treat to be able to Skype when they could given Puck's manic schedule.

For the most part they just caught each other up on what was going on in their lives. Quinn filled him in on everything from school to cheerleading, not leaving out any of the dirty details about what Santana and Britt had been up to lately either. Those girls were party animals and while she loved her friends to death, they were a bit crazy to say the least. Puck, on the other hand, couldn't talk much about his job and what they were doing over there, but filled her in on what he was allowed to say, neglecting to mention some of the details that would probably freak his wife out if he told her. Besides the day to day stuff, Puck and Quinn had been getting serious about looking at places up near Ft. Drum for when she graduated, and a lot of their conversations as of late were about their future together.

However, their conversation that evening was a total downer in comparison to their usual conversations. She mentioned that she was excited he would finally be coming home soon and wanted to know the date they were expected to arrive back in the States. She saw him hesitate slightly before he apologized, explaining how their medical leave had thrown off their timetable a bit more than they originally anticipated and they weren't 100% sure when they would get back.

He noticed the upset look on her face and decided to go ahead and mention that they had been told they would be back before Christmas, but that there were no guarantees as to when exactly they would be discharged from active duty. She nodded and smiled, choosing to change the subject before the waves of disappointment completely overtook her emotions. After chatting for a few more minutes, they said their goodbyes and Quinn headed to bed, somewhat upset with this new turn of events.

She always prayed that he would come home safely and really only wanted what was best for him, and even though she couldn't control what the Army had him do, she was thankful he would make it back before Christmas. He had been deployed during their first Christmas and holiday season as newlyweds and it was a relief that he probably would make it back to celebrate this holiday season, so she shouldn't really complain too much.

She was bummed, however, at the chance that he may miss her graduation from college though. She had worked so hard to get to where she was at this point in her life, considering she was a 4 year letter winner and captain of the varsity cheerleading team, would graduate Magna Cum Laude with a 3.88 GPA, had been accepted into several law schools on top of dealing with getting married her junior year of college, only to have him deploy for over a year. She hated tooting her own horn these days, but she thought that was a pretty good set of accomplishments, especially coming from a girl who had thought her life was over when she found out she was pregnant and had a baby while she was still in high school.

Now she had the opportunity to graduate early and celebrate the fact that she had survived college, let alone thrived and made the most of the opportunities she had been given. It was a tough and rocky road and she really just wanted to be able to share her happiness and accomplishments with him, because it wouldn't mean half as much if he weren't there to see it. She felt guilty feeling this disappointed over a simple ceremony given the fact that Puck was fighting over in a war zone, but she couldn't help it, the thought nagging her throughout the night.

She tried to finish up some homework that was due the next afternoon, but her mind was elsewhere so she gave up and closed her books, hoping a little sleep would help her calm down and help her refocus on her homework tomorrow.

* * *

><p>It had been a few weeks since Puck had told Quinn that he wasn't sure when they would be able to come back, and while they had talked a few more times since then, things just weren't the same. She would be the first to admit that she had been in a funk lately and even though cheering and school had kept her busy and been a pleasant distraction, the fact that she didn't know when her husband would be back had been at the forefront of her mind ever since they spoke last.<p>

Fall in Ohio meant football season, and while she was pumped that The Ohio State University Buckeyes were having a great season and her friend Taylor was being highly touted as a NFL first round draft pick, even the excitement of the season was a bit lost on her this year.

That was until Rachel called her up at the end of October, delivering some news that made Quinn genuinely happy for the first time in a while.

"So, do you have your tickets yet?" Rachel asked, foregoing a formal 'hello.'

Quinn was a bit confused, wracking her brain for the correct answer. "Um, tickets to what exactly?"

"My show! Duh!" Rachel exclaimed incredulously, "We are coming to perform in Columbus in two weeks, Quinn!"

"Oh, seriously?" Quinn replied, feeling bad that she hadn't been following Rachel's show as closely as she should have, "I'm not going to lie to you, Rach. I've been so busy and so distracted lately that it must have just slipped my mind. I am so sorry!"

"Distracted with school, sports, or Noah?"

Quinn smiled, acknowledging the fact that her friend seemed to know her so well, "I think it's safe to say that it's a mix of all of them at this point."

"I hear ya on that one," Rachel replied, "But hey, what are you doing like two Saturdays from now? I think its November 9th or something."

"Um, as far as I know, nothing really. The football team has a bye week that weekend so we don't have a game. Why?"

"Cuz I'm getting tickets for you to come see my show, Quinn! Try to keep up here."

Quinn laughed out loud before asking if she was serious and when Rachel replied that she was serious and she was getting tickets for her parents, the Hudson-Hummels, the Puckermans and the Schuesters anyway, so she said it would be no problem snagging Quinn some tickets. The production understood that it was one of their lead star's home states and they were more than happy to help accommodate her family and friends. Rachel even offered to get a ticket for Quinn's mother as well, but Quinn told her she wasn't sure what her mom's plans were so Rachel just said she would go ahead and leave five tickets for Quinn and whoever at will call that evening.

She quickly thanked Rachel for thinking of her and her mom and including the Puckermans as well. Rachel joked that every time her fathers saw the Puckerman women at temple, Noah's little sister always asked how Rachel was doing and where her show was that week, so she was more than happy to invite everyone she knew would enjoy it to the performance when they came through town.

The girls exchanged a few more pleasantries and stories, catching up for a bit before ending the call. Quinn found herself quite excited at the prospect of getting away from school for an evening and getting to see Rachel perform again. She got online and looked up the show, seeing that it had earned rave reviews from all across the country. She was happy Rachel was doing well for herself and was truly ecstatic to be able to get to see Rach and the rest of their family friends as well.

She walked out of her room to look for Santana and Britt, figuring it would be polite to ask them first if they wanted to go with her before she went and asked some other people if they were interested. Britt was thrilled, excited to see the show and all of the pyrotechnics Rachel had talked about when she last visited. Santana was a bit harder to read but Quinn knew she had wanted to go to see the show for a while now, seeing as how she caught Santana singing along to most of the 80's rock songs that were featured in the show in the shower on multiple occasions. They both agreed and the three girls began planning their girls night out, starting with trying to figure out what they would all wear to the show.

x-x-x-x-x

After a seemingly long few weeks, the big night of Rachel's "Rock of Ages" performance had finally arrived. Quinn, Santana, Britt and their teammate Whitney all got ready and headed out toward downtown Columbus, deciding to meet up with Quinn's mom for dinner before the show started. Rachel had left tons of tickets at will call for everyone and had sounded super excited to perform for all of her friends when Quinn last spoke with her a few days ago so Quinn knew this was going to be one of her best performances yet.

The conversation at dinner flowed easily and the five women enjoyed their meals and wine, chatting away until Santana noticed they needed to get going in order to get there on time. Quinn's mom treated the girls to dinner, paying the check and they all walked down the street toward the theater.

They ran into the Hudson-Hummels and the Schuesters at the box office, chatting a bit while they waited to be seated, shocked and awed when they realized that Rachel had snagged them front and second row seats. They talked for a bit longer until the lights started to dim and the narrator began to speak, setting the scene for the performance.

The main character strolled onto the stage, interacting with one of the other characters for a while before Rachel's character "Sherrie" was introduced, the brunette skipping out onto the stage to deliver her first lines. Easily half of the theater erupted into an enthusiastic applause, Rachel's parents standing and cheering from a few seats down the row. Quinn was positive she saw Rachel's smile grow even wider as she recognized her friends and family in front of her.

She began to deliver her lines and the scene easily moved into the first number of the performance, the audience tapping their feet and some singing along to all of the songs, from Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Styx, Bon Jovi and plenty of other 80's classics. Quinn even found herself singing along and sharing nostalgic glances with San and Britt near the end of the performance when Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" came on, the entire audience on their feet and cheering as the entire company belted out the tune.

Once the curtain drew to a close, the narrator came back on stage to introduce the cast members and to allow for them all to take a bow, the audience cheering wildly as Rachel came back out on stage and gave her a standing ovation as she waved at the crowd. The narrator took that moment to come back out near the front, clearing his throat as he began to speak again, the audience quieting down as they listened to what he had to say.

"Well, we hope you all enjoyed the show this evening just as much as we enjoyed performing for you all," he said, loud applause drowning him out again. Once they quieted down, he spoke again, "As many of you may know, our Sherrie, a Ms. Rachel Berry, or rather Mrs. Rachel Hudson hails from this great state, from the town of Lima which is not too far from here, so let's give it up for the hometown crowd, eh?" he asked, the crowd cheering wildly.

He used his hands to try and calm them down a bit before continuing, "Now, many of you know that Mrs. Hudson here is from the state of Ohio but many of you may not know that she is married to her high school sweetheart." He paused, allowing the crowd to get out all of their 'awws' and 'how cutes' out of the way.

Rachel blushed a bit, trying to mask her confusion as to where this was all going by pasting a smile on her face. The narrator decided to continue, "Yes, this lovely lady is married to a young man by the name of Finn Hudson, who is a Specialist in the Army currently serving overseas in Afghanistan." Rachel felt her heart clench a bit at the statement, trying to continue smiling as she saw Quinn's face fall a bit from her seat in the front row.

The narrator walked over to Rachel and placed a hand on her shoulder before continuing his spiel, "And seeing as how this upcoming Monday will be Veteran's Day, we wanted to acknowledge our service men and women who have served or who are currently serving in the military. So we, the 'Rock of Ages' ensemble would like to ask that anyone out there in the audience who has either served or is currently serving in one of the branches of the Armed Forces to please stand up so we can recognize your commitment and sacrifice to this great nation. Please, don't be shy."

People started looking around, Quinn's eyes scanning the room trying to see who all had also served. Slowly but surely, several men and women here and there began to stand up, their loved ones clapping as the entire audience and the cast broke out into applause. The men and women waved slightly, smiling as everyone in the room applauded their efforts.

Once the applause died down a bit, the narrator began to speak again, "We also wanted to take a moment to recognize the family members and friends of those who have served, realizing that they too have been asked to make a sacrifice while their loved ones are off serving our country." He smiled at Rachel before looking out over the audience, Quinn strangely feeling his eyes meet hers a few times as he continued, "And since Ms. Berry's husband is currently serving, we felt we needed to acknowledge their sacrifice as well. Would you like to say anything, Rachel?"

The narrator looked over at her, handing her the microphone as she gave him a puzzled look, confused as to why he was putting her on the spot right now when none of this had been rehearsed.

She accepted the microphone and looked out over the audience, "Um, thank you very much for that warm reception and thank you again for coming out to see the show. I would like to take a moment to thank all of you out there who have served or who are currently active duty, and like 'Lonny' over here informed you all, my husband too is serving overseas so your support means the world." She cleared her throat, looking down at Quinn and giving her a small smile before continuing, "And please remember to thank a Veteran for their service this weekend, I know it means a lot to them."

The narrator cut her off, tapping her on the shoulder and stopping her train of thought. She was perturbed at this point, but she didn't want to let the audience see so she smiled again and leaned over to ask what was going on. The narrator took the microphone from her and looked out over the crowd, smiling before looking back at Rachel's borderline peeved face before he spoke, "I apologize for interrupting but apparently we have some VIP's in the house tonight that we forgot to acknowledge earlier."

Rachel's brow quirked in annoyance, the narrator not being one of her favorite members of the ensemble from the beginning and now he was just digging himself a hole in front of her home crowd. She looked down at Quinn, who was leaning over and whispering with Santana, Britt and Whit, wondering what the hell was going on too. The audience looked a bit confused as well, and Rachel really hoped these VIPs were like the President or the governor or something to substantiate this interruption.

The narrator smiled wide before continuing, "Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have several VIPs here tonight, so without any further ado," he paused for effect, grinning at Rachel, "Returning to the United States after a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, I give you Ohio's own Specialist Finn Hudson and Specialist Noah Puckerman."

He stepped aside, motioning to the side of the stage where Finn walked out in his Army fatigues holding a bouquet of flowers, his smile dominating his face as he walked toward Rachel. Puck trailed after him wearing the same uniform, hopping down off the stage and making his way toward Quinn's seat.

As soon as Finn began to walk toward her, Rachel stared at him in disbelief before bursting into tears, beaming brightly at her husband before taking off in a run and leaping into his arms. She clasped his cheeks between her hands and kissed him deeply while Finn held her tightly. The audience burst into applause, many pulling out their cameras or phones to record the tender moment.

Quinn was so shocked to see Puck jump off of the stage and walk toward her that she felt frozen in place, her hands clasped over her mouth as tears cascaded down her cheeks. She watched him walk toward her with that familiar swagger and that beautiful smile and felt completely overwhelmed by the whole situation. Santana poked her in the back and her mother urged her to stand up but everything seemed to fade out around them as he pulled her into his arms and held her close, capturing her lips with his.

The crowd was still going wild, applauding loudly even after both couples broke apart and finally took in their surroundings. Puck received several pats on the back and "welcome home" greetings from many of the other audience members before hearing Finn's voice come over the PA system.

"I would just like to take a quick moment to say thank you all for this wonderful homecoming and show of support. It truly means the world to us. I also want to say thank you to the cast and crew of this awesome production. You not only put on a hell of a performance but both Specialist Puckerman and I really appreciate you all helping us pull off this surprise. And most of all, I want to quickly thank my friends and family, and especially my incredible wife for always supporting us through everything. I love you, Rachel." The couple kissed again and Finn handed the microphone back to the narrator.

The narrator wrapped everything up and wished everyone a good night before the house lights popped on, leaving the audience to make their way out of the back doors. Rachel opted to stay out near the stage with Finn, socializing with her friends and family for as long as she could before she needed to go backstage and change out of her wardrobe.

Quinn felt like she was in a dream, standing there with Puck's arm wrapped around her while several other audience members made their way up to the boys, thanking them for their service and wishing them all well. As they stood there, Tex made his way down the aisle, joining in on the reunion and earning hugs from Rachel and Quinn while the boys introduced Tex to the rest of the crowd gathered there.

Tex turned to Finn and held up his Flip camera, letting him know he got the whole thing on film and telling both of the other men that he would send copies of the files as soon as he got back to his computer. All of the people gathered there were stunned at how thoroughly the boys had planned this all out, managing to surprise not only Quinn and Rachel, but also surprising their families and close friends as well and recording the whole thing so they could enjoy it later.

The group chatted a bit longer before the wardrobe department supervisor came out to find Rachel, and the brunette excused herself from the group to go change. The rest of the crowd made their way out the doors to wait in the lobby for Rachel so everyone could go out for drinks afterwards.

Tex glanced around the crowd, realizing how close all of these people were and feeling slightly jealous at the amount of love and support in the room. His family was very supportive of him, but they lived on a fairly secluded ranch in Texas and he never really had that kind of camaraderie with anyone from his high school. He had heard all about all of Puck and Finn's friends and family and even though he had met both of their spouses before, he was more than happy to stop off in Ohio to see this elaborate reunion on his way through back to his home state.

He glanced over to see Finn completely immersed in conversation with his family and Rachel's parents, enjoying the way Carol Hudson seemed to hover over her son while he stood there. He noticed a group of girls huddled near a different man and his wife, deciding it was safe to assume these were the infamous Schuesters from Puck and Finn's old high school. From what he had heard, Mr. Schuester was a pretty cool dude, helping both guys out in their times of need and seemingly inadvertently played match-maker for both of his fellow teammates. He then turned and saw Puck and Quinn chatting with their mothers and Puck's little sister, Puck's arm locked around Quinn's lower back as he held her tightly against him. He smiled as he saw Puck glance over at Quinn, completely absorbed by what she was saying before leaning down and kissing her softly, chuckling at how whipped he thought both of his friends were. His train of thought was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind him.

"They're so cute, they make me want to vomit sometimes."

Tex looked over to find a familiar face, the hot Latina Puck's wife Quinn had introduced him to at the Ohio State game they went to at Army a few years ago. "Yeah, you should hear him when he gets to talking about her. It's sickening sometimes."

Santana chuckled a bit, "See, I would have figured Finn would be way worse."

"Oh, you have no idea. Way worse. He could go on and on and on about her for hours on end if you let him."

"I could only imagine."

He took a long glance at her, admiring all of her curves and assets for a few seconds before deciding to strap on the Southern charm he was blessed with and go for it, laying on the drawl heavily as he spoke, "So, since both of our friends are most likely going to be pretty, um…busy tonight, how about you let me buy you a drink."

Santana looked up at him and smirked, raising her hand and caressing his arm lightly before replying, "You know what, I would love for you to buy me a drink. But before you go and get any crazy ideas as to where this is going," she drawled, biting her lip as Tex widened his eyes, practically drooling over the raven-haired woman in front of him, "I should be honest with you. You're not my type."

Tex smirked back, "Well, how would you know that? You haven't even taken me for a test drive yet."

Santana laughed before dropping the seduction act, patting him on the back before responding, "Let's just say I don't play for the same team that you do."

"Huh? I don't think I follow," Tex said, his brow creased in confusion.

Santana leaned in toward him and pointed toward the group of girls talking to the Schuesters, "See the taller blonde girl over there?" Tex looked over toward where she was pointing, nodding when he saw who she was pointing at. Santana continued, "Yeah, she's mine. But that was a good line you used. I would bet it works on a lot of other girls who are, you know into that whole dating guys thing."

Tex simply stared at the blonde, looking back at Santana wide-eyed as the reality of what she had just said sunk in, "Wait, you two are like…together, together?"

"Yep. Wow, you're a quick one, cowboy."

"Seriously?"

"Um, yeah. Seriously." Santana began to walk away toward where Britt stood.

Tex followed, his eyes glancing back and forth from Santana and Britt, "Wow, that's hot."

Santana continued walking, glancing over her shoulder and chuckling, "Oh, believe me, it definitely is."

"Holy shit," Tex said, swallowing hard at the images flooding his brain at the moment and speeding up to match her stride, "Can I watch sometime?"

"Geeze, perv," she snarked back, stopping for a moment and narrowing her eyes at him before smirking again, "but maybe. We'll think about it."

Tex looked at the ceiling and muttered a quick "thank you Lord" while Santana stood there and laughed at him before the two of them followed the departing group out the front doors and into the crisp fall air.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Later that night, Quinn finally felt at ease as she curled into Puck's side, his strong arms encircling her and holding her close. She missed seeing him and being with him, and while she was a little overwhelmed at his surprise arrival earlier, all of the tension, frustration and disappointment seemed to melt away the second his skin touched hers. He kissed the top of her head, adjusting his arms once again before leaning down to murmur in her ear.

"So, did you like your surprise?"

She smiled, leaning forward to kiss his chest, "Mmmhmm, best surprise ever."

"I'm glad. Finn is like a ninja coordinator when it comes to this stuff."

"I was wondering how you did all of this. That was pretty damn elaborate."

"Yeah, Finn got a few numbers off of one of Rachel's castmates and put in a few calls to some of the production supervisors and stuff. They actually were pretty cool about the whole thing and were super-eager to help. They even offered to set aside a shit-ton of tickets for everyone."

"So that's how all of us got such great seats!"

"Well, Rach was going to get you all tickets anyway, but the producer upgraded them all to be near the front. I tell you what though, that was one hell of a show. I never thought I would enjoy a play that much, but it was pretty badass. Classic rock? Best Broadway soundtrack ever."

"Wait, you were there?" She asked, looking up at him, "You saw the show?"

He smiled softly back, "Well yeah, you don't think we would have gone through all of the trouble of surprising you there and not watched, do you? That and since he had never gotten to see it before we deployed, there was no way in hell Finn was missing it."

"Aww, I'm so glad he got to see her perform! She was so bummed he hadn't seen it yet and she works so hard. It's good to know he was there to appreciate it."

"Oh, you should have seen him. It was like watching a little kid unwrap his birthday presents or something. He had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face the whole time and could barely contain himself when people stood to applaud at both intermission and at the end. Thank God Tex was there to calm him down or I don't think he would have made it out onto the stage as easily as he did. He probably would have tackled her from all the excitement."

Quinn laughed, picturing Finn and his dopey grin launching himself at Rachel. "Well, what about you? You were pretty calm too when they introduced you."

"That was a struggle too, seeing as how I could see you and the rest of the girls from where we were seated in the theater. All I wanted to do all night was run up to you and kiss you but that would have ruined the big surprise, and I really wanted to see the look on your face. My mom and sister were really surprised too, so between the three of you, it was totally priceless."

"And Tex recorded the whole thing?"

"Yep, Finn takes care of everything."

"Mmm, that'll be nice to see sometime," she smiled against his chest before crawling over top of him. Puck grasped the back of her thighs and pulled her closer to him, groaning at the contact before she leaned down and placed a soft kiss against his lips, "I'm so glad you're finally home for good."

"Me too babe, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

* * *

><p>The sun filtered gently through the blinds, its rays settling across Puck's face as the light gently roused the slumbering man. He rubbed a hand across his face before turning over, seeking out Quinn's body to snuggle up and sleep in for a bit longer. He reached across the bed, feeling around and finding an empty pillow before snapping his eyes open.<p>

He glanced over at her side of the bed to make sure she really wasn't there when he heard noises coming from her bathroom. The closer he listened, the more it sounded like she was getting sick, so he got up and walked into the bathroom, finding her crouched on the floor near the toilet. They had gone out the night before and had a good time, but Quinn had always been somewhat of a lightweight so it didn't surprise him she wasn't feeling too hot this morning.

He grabbed her glass off of the vanity and held it under the faucet, handing it to her before sitting on the edge of the tub to rub her back a bit. She looked up at him and he felt terrible for her, her face pale as she tried to smile, the corners of her mouth falling as it turned into a pathetic frown.

"I feel like death."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I can tell."

She tried to give him her best sneer but even then, it was just sad, so Puck offered to help her back to bed, going out to the kitchen and making her some toast before coming back in and sitting with her for a bit longer.

Quinn took a bite of the toast, chewing slowly and trying to swallow, the bread proving difficult to get down her throat, "Dammit, I had been trying to avoid this so much this past week."

"Avoid what? A hangover?"

"No, not a hangover. I really didn't drink last night anyway," she said, leaving Puck to think back and realize that he didn't actually see her drink when they had gone out last night. "I'm pissed. I probably got it from Britt. She had the flu and strep all last week and had just started getting better toward the beginning of this week. We cleaned and sanitized every room in the house, but I guess I've been so stressed with school and graduation here in a month and with you being gone, my immune system must have been shot. I haven't been feeling all that well for the past few days but I tried to take vitamins and stuff to ward it off. So much for that idea."

"I'm so sorry. That sucks. But the good news is I'm back now, so that's one less stressor. Can I get you anything else?"

"I think I'm good for now. I have been starting to feel better later in the day so hopefully a nap or something will make me feel better."

"I bet it will," he said, pulling the covers up around her and kissing her forehead, "but if you're not feeling better by Tuesday, you should probably get in to see a doctor and get some antibiotics or something."

"Tuesday?" she asked, "Oh yeah, Veteran's Day is Monday. Happy Veteran's Day, by the way."

"Thank you, now that I'm officially a Veteran," he smiled as he walked out of the door, "Now get some rest."

x-x-x-x-x

Quinn was officially pissed that she was sick for the entire first weekend Puck had been home. Some homecoming that was. She felt bad for the poor guy, who she had made sleep on the couch the night before to avoid getting him sick too. She was exhausted, achy, had a foul stomach and her throat felt like sandpaper.

After sticking it out the rest of the weekend, she decided not to go to the campus student health center as the lines would be ridiculous this time of year, opting instead to take Puck's advice and go to the general medicine clinic located near the VA hospital where his military insurance would cover her visit. Puck had even called ahead and scheduled her an appointment for the earliest possible time they could get her in, knowing he could probably get her in quicker if he gave his information and was a bit more assertive with the operator on the other end of the line.

She arrived early enough to fill out the necessary paperwork, and was called back into an exam room shortly thereafter and was informed that the doctor would be with her soon. She heard a knock on the door and a young woman walked in carrying a file and a clipboard, sitting down and introducing herself to Quinn. The doctor asks a few preliminary questions before asking Quinn to describe her symptoms.

Quinn begins to list off her symptoms, telling the doctor that she had been feeling quite fatigued and exhausted for a while now and how her body just felt achy all over, her throat hurt like hell and her stomach wasn't agreeing with her lately either. The doctor asked a few more questions and Quinn informed her that one of her roommates had been sick earlier so the doctor made a note of that as well. She set the clipboard down and took Quinn's blood pressure and listened to her lungs, asking a few random questions in the process.

After checking her vitals, the doctor asked her what other activities she was involved with and Quinn began to list off everything she could think of. She told the doctor how she was captain of the cheer squad at OSU and how she was working toward finishing a semester early to graduate in December. She also told her she had been stressed in general with school and mentioned her husband being deployed for a while there so all of those factors probably contributed to her immune system being so weak.

The doctor nodded and jotted down a few more notes before looking back up at Quinn and taking her temperature. Once she was all done, she told Quinn that it was completely possible that she just had the flu and had gotten it from her roommate. However, the doctor went on to explain how she suspected it could be mono or something similar, seeing as how stressed out Quinn had been lately.

She asked if they could run a blood test and while Quinn hated getting blood drawn, she agreed, willing to do just about anything at this point to figure out what was going on so she could do something to make it go away. The doctor excused herself and the nurse came in and drew a small vial of blood, informing Quinn that they would probably have the results in a day or two and Quinn thanked her, picking up her purse and heading out of the office.

x-x-x-x-x

After playing the waiting game for the next two days, Quinn finally got a phone call from the clinic informing her that the results from her blood test came back. She had been feeling a bit better lately and shook her head as she thought that it may be moot at this point. However, she was thrown for a bit of a loop when the nurse mentioned that she needed to come down to the clinic to hear her results.

She figured they would just let her know what was going on over the phone and asked the woman why she wouldn't just tell her. The nurse simply stated that medical privacy laws had changed and prevented her from being able to disclose that kind of information over the phone so Quinn would have to come back to the clinic to find out.

Quinn thanked the woman and checked her schedule, relieved that all of her classes and practice was over for the day leaving her free to head down to the clinic. A few short minutes later, she pulled into the lot and made her way back into the clinic, checking in with the nurse before being led back to an exam room.

The same doctor she saw a few days prior came back in with Quinn's folder. Taking a seat near Quinn as she asks the blonde how she is feeling. Quinn told her she had been feeling better but isn't quite at 100% yet.

The doctor offered her a small smile before opening the folder and explaining the findings of Quinn's blood sample. Quinn sat there stunned, trying to absorb all of the information but suddenly finding it difficult to focus on the rest of what the doctor has to say. She can feel her eyes widen and she begins to feel light headed, the doctor's words droning on but she can't quite comprehend what the doctor is saying behind the ringing in her ears.

Finally, the doctor finishes her speech, asking Quinn again if she was feeling alright and requesting a nurse take her blood pressure again before she left the office. She shook hands with Quinn and departed with a smile as a nurse came in to take her place.

A few minutes later, Quinn exited the building, her face chalk white and drained of all its color as she tried to comprehend what just happened in that exam room. She opened her car door and slid in behind the wheel, rigidly sitting in the driver's seat and staring out into space for several minutes while she tried to wrap her head around the test results.

_What the hell just happened?_ she thought to herself as she sat there, too stunned to move.

* * *

><p><em>TBC...<em>


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: **__ After going back through the story as it is now, I decided to change the rating back to 'T,' seeing as how I feel it's really not graphic enough to really warrant an 'M' rating. I warned people before each of the more questionable chapters went up, so I hope it's ok that I changed it back. Please don't sue me :)_

_Also, thank you so much for all of your reviews and interest in my story! Again, thanks so much! You all are awesome!_

**Chapter 22**

_Finally, the doctor finishes her speech, asking Quinn again if she was feeling alright and requesting a nurse take her blood pressure again before she left the office. She shook hands with Quinn and departed with a smile as a nurse came in to take her place._

_A few minutes later, Quinn exited the building, her face chalk white and drained of all its color as she tried to comprehend what just happened in that exam room. She opened her car door and slid in behind the wheel, rigidly sitting in the driver's seat and staring out into space for several minutes while she tried to wrap her head around the test results. _

What the hell just happened_, she thought to herself as she sat there, too stunned to move._

x-x-x-x-x

Quinn was snapped out of her reverie by the buzz of her cell phone in the seat next to her signaling an incoming text message. She picked up the phone and saw that the message was from Puck, asking her how she was feeling and letting her know he would be home later than expected as he and Finn needed to report in for a post-deployment physical and to find out when they needed to be back in New York.

She clicked out of the message without responding back, laying the phone in her lap before starting her car and pulling out of the lot. She was still in a trance of sorts, the shock still fresh in her system as she drove through town back toward her house. She knew she probably should call Puck back and let him know what was going on, but instead found herself picking her phone up and dialing a different yet familiar number.

Santana answered the phone and the two girls chatted for a bit, Quinn asking what her and Britt's plans were for the evening. San told her that they were planning on studying a little that night, which in Santana terms, meant the two girls were going out for 99 cent margaritas at a local Mexican restaurant. Quinn cracked the first smile she could muster since she left the doctor's office, asking if it would be ok if she and Puck could have a night to themselves.

She felt mildly guilty at asking, or rather kicking her roommates out of their own house for the evening, but Santana said it would be ok, joking with Quinn that she and Britt didn't really want to hear the two of them again if they could help it. She told Quinn that they would probably just crash over at one of the other girls places. Santana asked a few more questions, teasing the blonde a bit before the two girls hung up.

Quinn found herself driving around town aimlessly for a while, not knowing what to do with herself or where to go before finally deciding it was time to go home. She still hadn't decided exactly how she was going to drop the bomb with Puck just yet, but she was hoping something came to her before he arrived home that night.

x-x-x-x-x

After a long day of being poked and prodded by all of the doctors at the VA and visiting the psychologists for a post-deployment psych eval, Puck was more than relieved to finally get out of there. They were asked to be at the hospital by 10am for a "quick" out-processing briefing and physical. _Quick my ass_, he thought as the time passed slowly.

Now, after waiting around for hours and finally being released, he was able to head back to Quinn's place, excited to relax with her for a bit. She had looked like she was feeling better lately so he was hoping she would be up for doing something tonight that didn't involve sleeping for 12 hours straight. He would be perfectly content sitting around watching movies if it meant getting to spend time with his wife when she wasn't unconscious the entire time.

As he pulled up to the house, he noticed that both Santana and Britt's cars were missing from the driveway. _Margarita Thursday, _he thought, smiling to himself as he made his way up the front path. Once inside, he made his way to the kitchen, his stomach rumbling with hunger. He stepped around the corner and stopped in his tracks, finding Quinn wearing a simple black dress, leaning over the table and laying down silverware to finish the place settings, the table complete with candles and everything. He certainly wasn't expecting this tonight but his stomach growled in appreciation once he noticed the Chinese take-out boxes on the counter, figuring she must be feeling better if she's ordered in.

He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her on the cheek, "Mmm, something smells good!"

Quinn smiled and settled into his arms for a moment, sneaking a quick kiss before pulling away, "Yes, I slaved away all day making you this feast. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make Chinese food?"

Puck laughed and headed toward the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge before asking Quinn if she wanted anything. She told him what she would like and he went ahead and fixed her a glass of water before heading back over toward the table and setting it down while she lit the candles.

He took a deep drink of his beer, appreciating the strong flavor of the hops before glancing back over at Quinn, who had begun to open the food cartons and load up their plates, "Wow Q, this is quite the spread." He saw her smile slightly before he noticed a fancy bottle on the table, "What's the occasion?"

Quinn looked up at him and smiled before returning to her task of dishing out the food and calmly replied, "Just wanted to do something nice for you."

She grabbed the take-out containers and put them on the counter while he leaned over the table and examined the spread in front of him. The champagne bottle caught his eye again and he felt there was something strange about it at first glance, picking it up and asking "Hey babe, what's this for?"

When she just smirked and shrugged, he had a hunch that he was missing something here. He wracked his brain trying to remember some special occasion they may have but for the life of him, he honestly had no clue what today could be. He decides to try and play it cool, but his eye catches some strange and unfamiliar writing on the label. He takes a closer look at the bottle, scrutinizing the writing until he finally sees what he thought was odd, "Why did you get sparkling apple juice? I figured we were maybe celebrating or something."

Quinn looked up at him shyly, biting her lip before replying, "We hopefully are celebrating something." Puck wrinkled his brown in confusion, trying to comprehend what she's getting at so she continues, "And I got the apple juice because I can't drink for a while."

"Are you ok? Is it like your stomach or your throat or what?" Puck asked, genuine concern etched in his features.

"Um, not exactly," Quinn murmured, waiting for Puck to start putting everything together in his head, "I just can't drink _alcohol_ for a while."

If it was at all possible, Puck's expression looked even more confused than before as he processed the information. After a few long seconds, his eyebrows shot up and Quinn thought he may have figured it out by now. He continued to stare at her for a few moments before speaking, "Are you – you're not -" he lightly scoffed, "Wait, does this have anything to do with what the doctor said? Is everything alright?"

Before he could continue to rant, Quinn cut him off, "What are you doing on Tuesday of next week?"

"Um, nothing that I know of, why? Quinn, what's going on?"

She gave him a small smile before leaning over the table and picking up a small business card, handing it to Puck, her gaze never leaving his face as she waited to see his expression.

Puck took the card and looked it over, "Dr. Sarah Robertson, OBG –Y -N" he says out loud, the last few letters coming out slowly as he glances up at Quinn, "Q?"

"Keep reading," she urged, trying to control herself as he scrutinized the card.

"Ultrasound Appointment for: Quinn Puckerman. Date: Tues. Nov 19. Time: 9:30am." He looked back up at Quinn, a slight smile on her face as he tried to absorb all of the information. "Wha - are you saying – are we – are you?"

Her smile gets wider as she takes in his shock, biting her lip and gently nodding her head up and down, "Puck, I'm pregnant."

Puck's face was frozen in shock, his mouth gaping open while he let the new revelation sink in a bit, "Uh, are you sure?"

Quinn was a bit surprised by his reaction, getting a touch defensive as she replied, "Um, yeah, I'm pretty positive. The blood test confirmed it."

"So, you're pr—you're pregnant?"

Quinn's face fell a bit, this not going as well as she originally hoped, "Yeah."

Puck took a few deep swallows of his beer before continuing, "And we're uh, we're having a baby?"

Quinn bit her lip again, nodding her head in the affirmative as she waited to see what he would do next.

"You're not messing with me, are you?" He asked tentatively.

She placed her hands on her hips, the position a familiar throw-back to her former Alpha stance in high school, and glared at him, "No, I'm not messing with you. Do you honestly think I would come up with something like this just to screw with you?"

Puck stared at her for a few more moments, his expression slowly fading from shocked to elated, a massive smile overtaking his face. His smile was enough to put Quinn at ease, allowing her to relax a bit before he startled her again, picking her up and twirling her around the kitchen, slowing only to cradle her head and kiss her deeply.

He eased her back down to the floor and stared into her eyes, the smile never leaving his face. Quinn held his gaze and smiled back, running her hand down his cheek, "Surprise!"

"So, we're having a baby? We're, you know, going to have a family?" he asked. Quinn felt a twinge of sadness and shame that he actually had to ask that question. She knew it was incredibly difficult for the both of them after the last time they were in this situation when they gave Beth up and she felt terribly guilty over the fact that Puck really wanted to keep her and become a family, even back then. But her pride and the reality of being teen parents really started to sink in, so she made the decision for the both of them to put their daughter up for adoption and it had been eating away at her ever since.

She looked up into his eyes, the hope and love reflecting brightly as he held her gaze and waited for her response. She smiled back, "We're having a baby," she nodded, "We're going to be a family."

Puck beamed, letting out an excited laugh before pulling her into his arms again and clutching her tightly against his chest. Almost as quickly as grabbed her, he released her again, eyes wide in concern as he looked down at her stomach, quickly apologizing for squeezing so tightly. Quinn chuckled and told him he was cute for being so conscientious and careful but it was really ok, the baby would be fine and he or she would be well protected in there.

He looked at her dumbfounded, a big Finn-style goofy grin plastered on his face. "Wait, what did the doctor say? Wh – When? How?"

Quinn laughed again, shaking her head slightly as she answered, "Do I honestly need to explain the 'how' part? I would have thought you remembered how babies were made."

"Ok, smartass, you've got me there," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender, "But what did the doctor say? How far along are you? When are you due?" his questions flowing from his mouth quickly in his excited state.

"Truthfully, I think I was in shock for most of the conversation I had with the doctor today, but I definitely caught the whole 'well, you don't have mono but congrats, you're actually pregnant instead' piece at the beginning."

"Hold up, did they seriously say that?"

"Well, yeah but more eloquently worded. It was still a shock, going from 'you may have the flu or mono' to 'you're pregnant.' The doctor told me that they ran the blood test and instead of finding any sort of viral infection or whatever, the amounts of HCG hormones in my system were a dead giveaway that I was pregnant." She paused for a moment then chose to elaborate when he looked a bit puzzled, "I don't know what it stands for, but HCG is the human growth hormone. It's really only present when someone is pregnant…especially given the levels they said they found in my blood."

Puck ran a hand over his head, taking in all the information, "So do you know how far along you are or when you're due? What are we having?"

Quinn smiled, loving how enthusiastic and inquisitive he was being about this news, "I don't know when I'm due yet or whether we're having a boy or girl. We will be able to find out more next Tuesday, hence the appointment card," pointing at the card still clutched in Puck's hand. "And given the blood sample as well as the last time I can remember having a period, the doctor estimated that I was probably about 13 weeks along."

His eyes widened in surprise, "You're that far along? Holy shit, Quinn. You knew sooner than that last time."

"I know," she sighed, "that surprised the hell out of me too. I told the doctor that as well, but she seemed to think I could have missed a lot of the signs for a number of reasons. I'm already fairly irregular due to our rigorous workouts and practice and given the stress I've been under lately, the doctor said it wasn't unusual it took longer to start seeing and feeling the symptoms. She did tell me I needed to tone down the stress though. It's not good for the baby."

"Yeah, no more stress for you," he smiled. He stood there and thought about how it took so long for them to find out. He tried to count back to determine when they could have gotten pregnant, "Wait, how many weeks did you say you were?"

"About thirteen," she repeats. She watched him chew on his lip a bit and could tell the gears in his head were starting to turn again, so she went ahead and filled him in, "Hun, it had to have happened over your leave. You went back to Afghanistan for almost 3 months."

He thought back to his leave, the recollection of how poorly most of it went hitting him like a ton of bricks. His face fell immediately, concern and pain etched in his brow, "Q, could it have been that night? You know, the one where I – where I - "

She saw him swallow hard and look down at the floor, deciding to cut him off knowing neither of them really wanted to relive that night, "It's possible."

His face fell even further and he felt his heart sink, horrified at the idea that they may have conceived their child the night he practically attacked Quinn and held her down, forcing himself on her. Even though he had been having terrible flashbacks and he really wasn't in his right mind at the time, the thought made him sick to his stomach.

He began to apologize again before Quinn held up her hand, silencing him by tracing her thumb over his lips and pulling his chin back up to look at her, "Baby, it's ok. We weren't exactly fantastic at remembering protection over your leave and we definitely made the most of the rest of the time you were back. It could have easily happened one of the other times we were together."

Puck nods, feeling marginally better at the thought that it could have happened at any point over his leave, so he chose to think it may have happened when they made up the night he came back home or even over their anniversary.

He smiles at the thought before another one hits him, "So, I don't mean to come off sounding like an asshole or anything, but I thought you were on birth control?"

Her expression turns sheepish before she decides to answer, "I was. As you know, I had been on the pill since high school but I switched to the Depo shot my sophomore year when I started forgetting to take the pill regularly, since the shot is typically good for up to three months." She glanced around the room, trying to find the best way to word this, "I, um… I decided to stop getting them when you left for Afghanistan, seeing as how you were going to be gone for a whole year and I didn't like the idea of pumping all of those hormones into my body if I didn't need to." She looks up shyly, "Oops."

He just kind of stares back at her and she starts to feel really guilty for forgetting to share that little tidbit of information, "I know I should have told you I wasn't on anything anymore, but I was so excited to see you that I just…forgot." She held his gaze for a little while longer before the silence started to get to her, "Puck, I know its unexpected and unplanned…again. But, is this ok? How do you feel about all of this?"

His eyes soften and his mouth curved into a gentle smile, "Quinn, you know how I feel about this. This is the good kind of 'oops!' How do you feel about everything?"

She looked up at him, "Honestly, it's sooner than I had hoped and it was a bit shocking to hear." She paused and bit her lip before smiling in return, "But I couldn't be more thrilled." Tears start to prick her eyes as she continued, "I'm excited to right the wrong I feel when I think about Beth and you have no idea how happy the idea of you and I having our own family makes me."

"Oh, I think I have an idea," Puck replied, the giant smile returning to his face before he pulled her close and kissed her hard.

She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down toward her, deepening the kiss as she traced his lips with her tongue. He chuckled against her lips and gently stroked her hair before pulling back slightly, that familiar cocky and devastatingly sexy grin back in place as he brushed back a wayward blonde lock of hair.

"So we're gonna have another little Puckling?"

"Puckling?" she laughed as she held him close, "That's new."

"It's what they are! We'll hopefully have a whole little flock of them someday."

"Oh hun, you've been spending way too much time around Britt."

He chuckled and kissed her again before kneeling down in front of her and placing his hands on her belly. He glanced up at her and grinned, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss against her stomach.

Quinn felt the tears of joy prick at her eyes again at the tender gesture, her emotions easily running rampant in her already hormonal state. She ran a hand over his head and smiled, "Congrats Daddy."

"You too, hot mama!" He pulled back and stood again, giving her a very obvious once over, "Speaking of which, you're already a total MILF. And by MILF, I totally mean mom I'd like to fuck…like right now."

Puck grabbed her and picked her up, Quinn squealing with surprise at the movement, "Hey, you have to be gentle! I _am_ carrying your child!"

"And you have no idea how hot that is."

"Wait, what about dinner?" she giggled as he lead her through the doorway and set her down on the bed.

He yanked off his shirt and undid his belt, leaning down to capture her lips before he began to kiss his way down her neck and collarbone, sliding his hands around her sides. He found the little clasp in the middle of her back and pulled the zipper down slowly, the dark fabric sliding down her arms as he continued to pull the obstructive garment off of her body. He chuckled a bit before continuing his journey down her chest and stomach, "Babe, _this_ is why we have a microwave."

x-x-x-x-x

Laying in bed and spooning a while later, Puck held Quinn close to him and traced lazy circles on her abdomen, stopping every once in a while to hold his hand over her already visible bump. To be honest, Puck had noticed that Quinn looked like she had gained a little weight from the last time he saw her over leave, and while he never would have said anything to her that would get him slapped or land his ass on the couch for a while, he thought it looked good on her. She had always been slim and toned and she was very conscientious of her diet and exercise regimen while she was competing in sports, but Puck had always thought she was too stringent about her diet and exercise plan.

Now, seeing her like this and being able to run his hands all over her body, he much preferred this more athletic and curvy build she had going on, despite some of the comments he may have made in high school to the contrary. His eyes skated across the planes of her body, his mouth twisting into a grin every time he saw that little bump on her belly. He lightly kissed the spot right below her earlobe, eliciting a giggle from her throat as she looked back up at him and placed her lips against his. He pulled back and stared for a moment, a quiet content and happiness radiating off of her as he took in the sight in front of him. Puck thought she was absolutely breathtaking, and at the risk of sounding like a pansy, it seemed as though she was practically glowing. Now he officially felt like a chick off of one of those Lifetime movies but it was one hundred percent true.

"Not to ruin the moment or anything, but it's been really quiet around here all night. Did you pay your roommates off?"

Quinn laughed, "I didn't have to, actually."

"Lucky! They drove a hard bargain the last time I wanted some alone time with you. Was it blackmail this time?"

"No! I just talked to San earlier and she said they would find somewhere else to stay."

"You talked to Santana earlier?" He paused, curious as to what Quinn told her friend, "What did you say? Does she know?"

Quinn bit her lip and rolled her eyes, sighing before recounting the whole conversation she had with Santana earlier that day:

"_Sup, Q-Tip?" Santana's greeting short and sweet after Quinn had waited through three rings to try and get a hold of her friend._

"_Hey S, I need a favor. Would it be ok if you and Britt maybe stayed somewhere else tonight? I need a little alone time with Puck."_

"_Hmm, shocker. Yeah, I don't particularly want to hear that again. But then again, we have ear plugs now," she joked, waiting to hear Quinn's reaction._

"_Actually, that's not the reason. I just need some alone time and some space tonight."_

"_Why, what's up?"_

"_Nothing's up. Everything's fine, no worries. Why?" Quinn stumbled through her words quickly._

"_You know, I've known you for years and you're a terrible liar."_

"_I'm not lying. I just want to have the house to ourselves tonight."_

"_Ok, whatever Quinn," Santana chided, "You are aware that your voice tends to rise in pitch and you talk really fast when you're nervous, right?"_

"_Huh?" Quinn replied, "No I don't! I'm not nervous, why would I be nervous?"_

"_Yep, see right there? My point exactly. So what the fuck is going on? Or do I even want to know?"_

"_I just need to talk with him about some stuff is all."_

"_Serious stuff?"_

"_Yes, serious stuff," Quinn sighed, not quite sure if she liked where this was going._

"_Wait, lemme guess. Marital problems? You're getting a divorce? You're pregnant again? Ooh, or maybe it's the opposite. Maybe he can't get it up anymore."_

"_Santana…"_

"_Or maybe one of you has the clap? Or he's gay? You're gay?"_

"_Santana, quit!"_

"_Sorry Q-ball but you were so vague. I had no choice but to start guessing."_

"_No choice, eh?" Quinn asked, annoyed. "And for the record, our marriage is perfectly fine, we're not getting a divorce, nobody is gay and nobody has an STD. We're only sleeping with each other anyway, promise." After she finished, she still felt the need to somewhat defend her husband's manhood, so for good measure, she added, "And trust me, he can still get it up." _

_She heard a hearty laugh on the other end of the phone, "Oh, I know. Our walls are thin…remember? You have volume issues Chica, but it sounds like you two always have a good time." _

_Quinn blushed, "Oh God, not again." _

_The phone was silent for a few minutes, each passing moment making Quinn more and more nervous before she finally heard Santana's voice come back on over the line, "Now wait a second, you conveniently forgot to address one of my questions." _

_Quinn thought about it, realizing where this was going before replying quickly, "No, I think I covered it all. So is it ok if we have the house tonight?" _

"_Oh, nice try with the change of topic. But no, you didn't answer one of them," Santana replied slyly, the smugness in her voice audible as she repeated her question, "Are you preggars again?" _

"_Santana, I think you're breaking up on me and I've gotta go anyway. I'll talk to you later," Quinn said rapidly, trying to end the call but failing to do so before she heard Santana gloat on the other end._

"_Oh I was so right! I thought you would learn by now that I'm never wrong, Juno 2.0." _

"_Yeah, yeah. Just please don't tell anyone, not even Britt? I haven't even told Puck yet." _

"_Congrats, I guess. And you know I won't say shit."_

_Quinn murmured a quiet 'thanks' before Santana chimed in again, "Oh, and good luck…Hope Puck doesn't have an aneurysm." _

_Click. The famous Santana Lopez hang-up once again._

Puck got a kick out of her story, shaking his head and laughing at how typical of a reaction from Santana that was. He kissed her again before leaning back and getting comfortable against the pillows, the pair deciding they'd had enough excitement for one day.

* * *

><p>A few days later, the couple found themselves back in the doctor's office, Quinn reading a magazine while Puck anxiously bounced his knee and fidgeted while he glanced around the waiting room.<p>

After about 5 minutes of waiting, Quinn slapped her hand down on his leg, "Stop. You're driving me crazy."

Puck rubbed his leg where she had hit him, "Oww, fine! I'm just nervous alright. This is the first time I've ever really done this, you know."

That one stung a little, and even though it was the truth, Quinn looked away for a moment trying to shield the flash of pain and guilt she felt at the old memory. She recovered quickly, looking back down at the magazine and pretending to ignore his last comment, "Yeah, I get it, but you're making me nervous now and that's probably not good for the baby. Plus, it's just obnoxious. You're not four."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, you must be pregnant. Hormones much?" he muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Quinn asked, looking up from the Cosmo and glaring at him, "What did you just say?"

"Me?" Puck looked back at her with feigned surprise, "I didn't say anything."

She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice, "You are so lucky we are in public right now and there are small children around, otherwise you would probably have a much deserved five-star on your cheek at this point."

"Oooh, feisty this morning I see," Puck smirked, knowing he was skating on thin ice by pushing his wife's buttons but couldn't help the words from escaping his mouth, "All that anger and aggression is kinda hot."

Quinn practically snarled at him, her nostrils flaring lightly and Puck could have sworn he saw steam coming out of her ears as she stared him down.

"Quinn Puckerman," a voice called across the waiting room. _Saved by the bell_, Puck thought as he stood and offered a hand to help Quinn up, the blonde batting it away and pushing herself out of the chair. She walked around him, purposefully avoiding him as she made her way toward the nurse.

As she passed, he reached out and pinched her lightly on the butt, cracking a smile and raising his shoulders in a shrug when she glared back at him. But hey, he couldn't help it; he loved being that pain in her ass.

Once inside the exam room, the nurse told them Dr. Robertson would be in shortly and left the couple to wait. Quinn was just flat out ignoring him so Puck decided to cut it out and change tactics, taking her hand and holding it in his lap. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, looking over at her as she sat staring at a poster on the wall.

She looked back at him to see if he was being serious or if he was still messing around. When she saw that he was waiting for a response, her expression softened and she squeezed his hand, "Yeah," she smiled, "I think so. Are you?"

"I guess I have to be," he said, instantly trying to think of something to say to smooth that comment out, "It just feels so surreal right now, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," she said, nodding before she sighed, "but it'll feel very real here in a few minutes."

He wove his fingers through hers and nodded in agreement, the two waiting in a comfortable silence until there was a knock at the door and the doctor entered. She introduced herself and started to ask Quinn a few questions, Puck listening intently to the two women. He wasn't able to really be around the last time Quinn went through this, and while he was over the whole finger-pointing game and didn't blame her for the decisions she had made anymore, he wanted to be involved the whole way through this time.

Dr. Robertson seemed satisfied with the answers Quinn had provided and told the girl that she could go ahead and jump up onto the exam table. She took Quinn's blood pressure and listened to her heartbeat, telling Quinn she could lie down now and signaled to Puck that they were going to start soon. Quinn did as the doctor asked, pulling her shirt up and trying to push her pants down a bit to give her enough room to move the ultrasound wand over her bump.

Puck got up and held Quinn's hand, frowning at the strange blue goop the doctor put on her stomach before the doctor asked if they were both ready to see their baby. He looked down at Quinn, the couple nodding their heads as the doctor flipped on the monitor. She traced the wand around Quinn's abdomen, trying to find the best position when all of a sudden a steady noise became audible in the exam room.

The doctor smiled as she looked at the screen, "And there's the heartbeat. That's a good strong heartbeat."

That sound was music to Puck's ears. It was such a simple sound but it meant so much more than that. The steady rhythm got him going too, his heart beating faster as the doctor moved and tilted the wand again, trying to get a better view.

"Ok, that right there," she pointed at the monitor, "is its head. And there's an arm outstretched right there. And there is a leg and a foot."

Puck stood there frozen, transfixed on the screen as he saw what the doctor was pointing at. He didn't even notice he was smiling so wide until Quinn squeezed his hand again and he looked down at her, her smile lighting up too at the first sight of their baby.

He felt almost giddy, his whole body buzzing as he stared back up at the screen, practically bouncing around with energy, "So, can you tell what we're having yet?"

Quinn chuckled quietly to herself, her husband reminding her of a child staring excitedly through the window of a pet shop or a toy store. He was so cute to watch that she almost missed the fact that he had just asked whether the doctor could tell the gender of the baby.

The doctor moved the wand a bit more, letting out a small sigh before shaking her head slightly, "At this point, the baby isn't quite positioned correctly to be able to definitively tell. So I would say it's still a 50-50 chance. Until the baby decides to shift a bit and we can get a better look, I'm not comfortable speculating on its gender just yet."

Puck smiled. It didn't matter what they had, he was just excited to see it with his own eyes and hear its heartbeat pulsing throughout the small space. "Can we order like, several pictures please? Oh, and a DVD or something." he asked, looking back to the doctor.

Quinn laughed and Puck grinned back down at her, the doctor chuckling a bit before easily agreeing to his request. She printed up multiple pictures and Puck smiled when he saw the "Baby Puckerman" label at the top. He immediately stuffed one of the smaller ones in his wallet, excited to have the first of hopefully many pictures of his little guy or gal in there.

The doctor helped Quinn clean off a bit and allowed for her to sit up before she continued with her findings, "Overall, your baby is looking very good. There is normal growth and development and it appears as though the two of you are making very good progress, so congratulations." Quinn thanked her before the doctor continued, "Now for the big reveal. You found out a bit later than most that you were pregnant and it's not surprising that you are a bit further along than you probably anticipated. Right now, the blood test we did as well as the ultrasound would put you around 14 weeks. So, if I did my math correctly," she paused and smiled, looking at her chart once again before glancing back up at the expectant parents, "that would put you at a mid- April delivery. All things considered, I am going to go ahead and set your tentative due date at April 14."

Quinn smiled and Puck was thrilled, knowing around the time when they would be welcoming a new little one into the family was a pretty exciting event. They thanked the doctor and exited the clinic, both of them sneaking glances down at the ultrasound pictures numerous times as they walked out to their car and during the entire drive home.

As soon as they arrived back at the girls' house, Quinn went immediately into her room, finding a picture frame and taking the random photo of her and Puck out before slipping their new picture in behind the glass, setting the frame back down on the bedside table.

"Perfect," Puck said as he leaned against the doorway, arms crossed as he smiled back at her, "perfect new addition."

She smiled back at him and he pushed himself off of the door jam, making his way toward her and encircling her waist with one of his arms while his other hand found its way down to Quinn's bump. "I love you," he murmured, leaning forward and capturing her lips gently, "both of you."

x-x-x-x-x

Once their long day of excitement wound down, Quinn and Puck finally had a chance to relax a little later on that night. Despite the events of the morning, Quinn still had two afternoon classes and a practice to attend while Puck spent the day continuing to search for places to live, including an extra room or two in the mix now that they needed the extra space. The couple fixed dinner for themselves, Santana and Britt and enjoyed catching up with their friends, both ignoring the knowing stares they got from Santana as they all managed to avoid bringing up the little blue or pink elephant in the room.

At one point, Quinn thought Britt had figured it out, randomly mentioning that Quinn hadn't been too much fun lately and refused to drink when she was around everyone else. And to add a bit of insult to the mix, she also made a random comment about how Quinn was lucky that she would be done with cheering here in less than a month so coach wouldn't get on her for gaining a little weight.

Puck choked on his beer while Santana snickered as soon as the comment left Britt's mouth, but all three of them knew that Brittney had a tendency to say things without thinking and without realizing how they would sound to anyone listening. She never meant anything hurtful or offensive by anything that she said, she just tended to tell the truth, as blunt as it may come out, but socially she needed a bit of work. Quinn almost told her what was going on but instead, decided on simply saying that there was a reason for her slight weight gain and Britt smiled, saying she couldn't wait to be done with cheer so she didn't have to worry about that crap anymore either.

Since Puck and Quinn cooked, San and Britt offered to do dishes, which simply consisted of rinsing and putting stuff in the dishwasher, but it was still nice of them to do. The couple retreated to Quinn's room, the blonde immediately walking over to her full length mirror and staring herself down, turning to the side to see all of the angles. She groaned in frustration, not pleased that she had put bit of weight onto the frame she worked so hard to keep in shape.

Puck walked up behind her and hugged her, dropping kisses on her neck and telling her how sexy she was and how she needed to quit focusing on a few extra pounds. She turned around in his arms and kissed him in return.

"So, I think it's probably a good time to start thinking about when and how we're going to tell people," she murmured, pulling back slightly and walking over to sit on her bed.

Puck followed suit, sitting up against the headboard, "Yeah, I thought about that earlier. Can't we just call and tell people?"

"We could, but where's the fun in that? Plus, I want to do something a little different, a little more special this time. I don't know _what_ just yet, but something a little nicer and better planned than the last time."

"That works," Puck nodded in agreement, "But we probably should tell people soon. They're going to start noticing, Q."

"I know. What about Christmastime?"

"That's not much better. You'll be like 5 months by then and it will be really obvious. Besides, my family doesn't celebrate Christmas, remember?"

"I know that, I was just thinking like Christmas break, when everyone would be back home, you know?"

"Well, what about Thanksgiving? We're already going back to Lima and that's only in like a week and a half."

She smiled and leaned back against his chest, "I like that idea. Speaking of holidays and such, didn't you get your schedule and orders as to when you need to be back?"

Puck scratched his head, sighing before kissing the top of her hair, "Yeah we did. We've gotta report back in at Ft. Drum the first week of January. This is gonna be a quick move. Sorry babe."

"No, I was kinda expecting it actually. Besides what I have in this room and some random pieces of furniture out in the kitchen, I don't really have much to move anyway. I'm just excited to get our own place soon!"

"Me too and it'll save us money! Now I won't have to pay your roommates to leave us alone for a night!"

"You're never going to live that down, you know that right?"

"Oh, it's Santana. Believe me, I know."

Quinn laughed, shifting a bit in his arms, "I'm just really glad we get to spend the holiday seasons with each other this year and you'll actually be able to make it to my graduation!"

"Me too," he replied, gently stroking her hair, "I wouldn't miss your graduation for the world, either. I feel like I missed a lot being gone last November and December." He paused, letting out the breath he was holding, "I'm excited to finally get to spend a Christmas with you and you'll get to hang out with us during Hanukkah. Oh, getting back to holidays for a second. What are the plans for Thanksgiving?"

Quinn thought back to the conversation she had with her mother yesterday about that very subject, relaying everything they had talked about back to Puck, "Well, my mom has offered to host a big Thanksgiving shindig this year at our place. My grandparents on her side are coming in to town for the first time in a while and even though my sister is staying in Boston with her husband's family, my mom is still really excited to be able to have everyone there and spend the holiday with all of us."

She paused, looking up at Puck, who looked like he was about to say something before she jumped back in, "_And_, since she knows this was going to be our first holiday together since we got married, she didn't want for us to have to choose where to spend Thanksgiving. So, she called your mom up and asked what their plans were and as of right now, your mom, sister and grandparents are all having Thanksgiving over at my mom's house too! Sans the holiday ham, I promise."

Puck looked down at her in surprise, noticing the quirky smile on her face as she waited to hear his reply, "Q, that's awesome! I was going to say that it'll be tough picking where we go that day but we don't have to! Now _you're_ like the planning ninja."

Quinn laughed again, "Actually, that was all my mom. And if you think about it, it gives us the perfect opportunity to tell everyone."

"I like where your heads at, Fabray."

"And that hasn't been my name in over a year, Noah," she shot back, earning a sly smile from Puck.

"Damn straight. You're mine!" he called out, pulling her closer and tickling her sides, Quinn squealing as she tried to get away.

* * *

><p>After a few days daydreaming through class and spending a considerable amount of time looking up ideas for ways to make their little announcement online, Quinn was starting to get a little frustrated at the options she had thus far… That was until she heard Brittney singing in the shower one morning and a thought hit her like a bolt of lightning. The song made her think back to something Puck had said a while ago and she instantly knew the perfect way to tell everyone.<p>

She grabbed her laptop and searched for all of the supplies she would need, putting the order in at Amazon and sitting back to enjoy her triumph in finally deciding how they would tell their friends and family. She texted Puck to let him know of what she was thinking and he immediately texted back to let her know he loved it and it would be perfect. So now, all she had to do was wait until everything arrived before preparing everyone's little "gift boxes."

A couple of days later, the box from Amazon finally arrived on their doorstep and Quinn took it into her room, emptying the contents on the bed to make sure they were all what she was looking for. Everything looked good, so she started making little tags and assembling the boxes, putting Puck to work as soon as he got home from the gym.

Once they got going, their assembly line process went rather quickly, Puck putting the tags on and boxing everything up while Quinn wrapped a few of the pieces and tied all of the boxes together with royal blue and deep pink ribbons, wanting to drop a slight hint but hoping it wasn't too obvious since they hadn't used the typical baby blue and light pink.

After they had finished, they both stood and stared at the boxes, appreciating their handiwork before moving them all into a few bigger boxes they would take with them later that week when they went back to Lima. Quinn wrapped one up in brown packaging paper and addressed it to her sister, hoping to make it to the post office the next morning to ensure she would get one by Thanksgiving as well.

* * *

><p>Thanksgiving break rolled around quickly and Puck and Quinn found themselves making the all too familiar drive back to their hometown. They would have all day Wednesday to spend with their friends and such before the Thursday holiday and they were excited to see those they hadn't seen in a very long time. The Berry's decided to host a mini-Glee reunion at their house as they would be spending the next day with the Hudson-Hummels for Rachel and Finn's sake, but it was still a generous offer considering the stress of the holiday season.<p>

All of their friends had made it back for the holiday and they were thrilled to catch up with the people they didn't see every day, namely Tina and Mike, Mercedes, Kurt, Lauren and of course the Schuesters. Unfortunately, Sam's family moved to Indiana so the only real contact he still had with everyone was via Facebook but the crew still decided to call him and put him on speakerphone, even if it was just to say hi.

After socializing for a few hours and hanging out, Puck and Finn regaling everyone with their literal 'war stories', people started to thin out, many having to head home to help cook or clean for the next day. Quinn and Puck offered to stay and help Rachel and Finn clean up a bit before heading out themselves, telling the Hudsons they would see them the following day.

x-x-x-x-x

The next day was a busy one for Quinn and Puck. On top of running errands or helping Quinn's mom cook, they both still had to deliver all of their boxes to their friends. They decided to do it the day of Thanksgiving as to not tempt people to open it before they were told, even going as far as writing little tags on the outside that said "No peeking until 7pm Thanksgiving Day."

They decided to label their own family members' boxes with the same request, except they wrote 6:45pm instead, allowing their family to be the first ones to hear the news. Quinn even adjusted the time on her sister's box so it would be all simultaneous. _This was going to be an interesting surprise_, they both thought as they jumped into Puck's truck to deliver all of the packages.

They dropped one off at Mercedes' home, Quinn getting a giant hug from Mr. and Mrs. Jones before heading out to their next location. They made their way over to Britt's house, then to Mike's place where he and Tina were both staying, and then on to the Schuesters' home. They followed that up by making their way over to Santana's house and dropping the box off with the grinning Latina. Even though she already knew what was going on, Santana had done a hell of a job keeping their secret and they were very appreciative, so Quinn even threw in a gift card from a local coffee house in Columbus as a thank you.

They rounded out their trip by heading over to Burt and Carole's house, leaving a box for the older couple, a box for Kurt and a box for Finn and Rachel. Finn stared at the box with confusion and shook it a bit, trying to figure out what was inside while Rachel thanked them for the gift and proceeded to ask them tons of questions to get them to tell her what was inside. Rachel was never one for patience so this would be a good test, Quinn and Puck hoping she would heed the 7pm warning as to not ruin the surprise.

They made the trek back to Fabray Manor, noting Puck's mom's car in the driveway and quickly unloaded the rest of their boxes, wanting to get inside and say their hellos. They had planned on telling everyone near desert, but they were on a bit of a time crunch so they were anxious to get the meal started.

Once they had properly greeted everyone and the meal was served, the group fell into easy conversation with one another, Quinn and Puck's grandparents getting along well while everyone else told stories and caught each other up on their lives. For the first time in a while, Quinn was incredibly grateful that she was eating for two as she loaded up her plate again and enjoyed the delicious food, not feeling guilty for the amount she was eating for once. Puck noticed too and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek and offering to take her plate when she had finished.

The conversation continued while the older adults enjoyed their after dinner coffee and cocktails while Puck and Quinn went ahead and put the dishes away in the dishwasher to make room on the table for the plethora of deserts Quinn had been salivating over for the past several hours.

Midway through washing dishes, Puck's phone went off in his back pocket. He took it out and noticed it was the alarm he had set for when they needed to hand out their surprises to their family.

They left the rest of the dishes and dried their hands while Puck picked up the remaining few boxes, taking them into the dining room and clearing his throat, "I'm really sorry to interrupt but Quinn and I wanted to take a quick moment to thank Ms. Fabray for having everyone over tonight for dinner and we wanted to say thanks to all of you for agreeing to spend your holiday with one another just for our sakes. It truly means a lot to us that we get to spend this time together and having everyone here has been awesome, so thank you."

Puck's grandfather held his whiskey glass up in a salute to Ms. Fabray and said thank you, prompting everyone else to do the same as well. Quinn took that time to go ahead and say her part, "So, as a sign of our appreciation, Puck and I, excuse me, Noah and I have a little surprise for you all."

She gingerly took each individual box out of Puck's arms and placed one in front of both sets of grandparents first, followed by Puck's mom and her mom, and finally dropping the last one off in front of Puck's little sister. She smiled and Puck wrapped his arm around her lower back, the couple waiting to watch everyone as they opened their gifts. "You all can open them now," Quinn informed them when she saw a few people checking the boxes out.

Nobody needed to be told twice. Everyone slipped the ribbon off of the outside and opened the top, pulling out the piece of tissue paper hiding the rest of the surprise.

Inside, were two rubber ducks, one in a camouflage uniform and helmet with a tag that read "Noah" tied in ribbon around its neck while the other one was dressed in a cheerleading uniform with a tag that read "Quinn" around its neck, as if she needed to really make the distinction. But they were too cute and too perfect not to get.

Everyone got a kick out of the ducks, setting them on the table and admiring them before noticing the small tissue-paper wrapped package at the bottom of the box. Quinn's mom was the first to pick it up and look at the couple, still standing at the head of the table, before beginning to tear at the wrapping. Everyone else followed suit and what they found in there elicited a small gasp from both Quinn and Puck's moms.

Wrapped inside the tissue paper was a smaller mini-rubber duck with a bottle tucked under its wing, a tag with the words "Baby Puckling" in bold writing, followed by the words "Hatching this April" in smaller writing underneath.

Quinn and Puck looked around the room at everyone staring exasperatedly at the smaller duck, Mrs. Puckerman's eyes welling up and Ms. Fabray clasping a hand over her mouth before both women stood and came around the table, grasping the both of them in a big hug. Both sets of grandparents started hollering "Congratulations" and "Boy or Girl?" when the moms finally detached themselves from their children, allowing Puck and Quinn to round the table to hug them and tell everyone that they were still unsure of the gender but that they should hopefully know soon.

Quinn's grandpa poured Puck a glass of scotch and the men toasted their grandchildren, Puck joking with the grandfathers that he hoped it was a little boy while Quinn was practically mobbed by all of the women asking her how far along she was and when her exact due date was.

Then the madness started…

Quinn's phone was the first to go off, Mercedes and her whole family on speakerphone yelling their congratulations while Quinn had to hold the phone away from her ear, thanking everyone and answering a few of their questions. Her sister also called, screaming her congratulations too, teasing Quinn about the fact that the younger Fabray was growing up so much faster than the older of the two sisters. Puck's phone blew up too, signaling a text from Mike and Tina congratulating the pair before his phone rang again, Mr. and Mrs. Schuester calling to congratulate them as well.

It seemed to get more hectic after that, both Puck and Quinn getting messages from Santana saying "I better be its godmother…but officially, congrats y salud," and Britt saying "Thanks for the new ducks to add to my collection! I don't have these ones yet!" Both of them burst out laughing as they read Brittney's message, only to be interrupted by another one from the ditzy blonde saying "Wait, are you having a baby duck? Or just a baby? Either way, happy hatching!" which made them bellow even harder.

Finally, after everything has died down a bit, both of their phones begin to ring again, Puck's caller ID reading "Finn" while Quinn's said "Rachel." They couldn't figure out why they wanted to call separately, seeing as how they were all at the same place, but they decided to answer anyway, getting bombarded immediately after saying 'hello.' Rachel and Kurt begin squealing in excitement, congratulating the two of them and commenting on the creativity of their announcement.

Finn's first reaction was a bit different, as the first thing out of his mouth was "You should totally name this one Drizzle." Puck broke out laughing and Finn followed suit, asking him why he hadn't said anything sooner. Puck explained that it had all happened kind of fast, so Finn congratulated his buddy before informing Puck that he definitely took a picture of the ducks and sent it out to all of their teammates. Puck was actually kind of relieved Finn did that as he wasn't quite sure how he was going to tell everyone, but it was a good idea so he thanked his friend before answering a few more questions and ending the call to attend to a few texts he had already received.

x-x-x-x-x

While all of the other women in the room begin to conspire with one another as to what they should each get the duo for a baby gift and started throwing around possible names for the new little one, Puck continued to field calls from their friends, Quinn catching his eye in the process. In the excited yet organized chaos all around them, he grinned and winked at her, his smile meeting his eyes as she smiled back. He goes back to talking and texting their friends and his teammates, but she can't tear her eyes away from him.

She knows he's excited and their families are too, seeing as how this time around they are actually married and both fairly stable in their own lives, but she's absolutely entranced by him.

This was the boy she first slept with in high school, the same boy who got her pregnant and tried to help her out even when she thought her life was over. This was the boy she witnessed turn into a man, working hard to prove himself by going out into the world to do something much bigger than anyone would have given him credit for in the past.

This was the same man who joined the Army to serve and protect the United States and had since selflessly and courageously fought in a warzone.

This was the man who came back from war a little broken but did everything he could to right his wrongs. The man who was ecstatic, not terrified, when she told him they were expecting and who was now calling everyone he knew to tell them of their good news.

Her first love, the only guy she had truly ever loved and would always feel lucky to have as a husband. And this was the same man she was honored to call the father of their children and a man their children would be fortunate enough to be able to call their dad.

A wave of emotion washed over her and she couldn't stop the happy tears from slipping out of the corners of her eyes. While she wasn't entirely sure if it was the heat of the moment or the hormones causing her to have this reaction, she knew without a doubt that she couldn't wait to begin the next chapter of their lives together.

_The End._

_Haha, Just Kidding. TBC…_

**A/N:**_ There is definitely more to the story, but I don't want to bore anyone or put anyone off of reading it. You're reviews and opinions really mean the world to me and I do really appreciate my fabulous readers letting me know what you all think! You're all the reason I continue to write this story so thank you again!_


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N:**__ Sorry this chapter took so long to update! I am going to try to update more regularly but you know how life gets sometimes. I also wanted to say thank you all for continuing to read and leave reviews! It is so wonderful to hear all of your perspectives on my story & I love the support!_

_I did want to say that this chapter does skip ahead a bit in time. After looking it over multiple times, I still feel it's a bit disjointed but I wanted to include the important parts as I saw them, so it jumps in time a little bit. Sorry if it puts a few of you off…the next chapter isn't so bad. Hope you like it!_

**Chapter 23**

The holiday season came and went quickly, and while Quinn wanted to savor the time with her family and friends as much as she could for the remaining few weeks she would still be living in Ohio, she was ready for a break from all of the excitement. Ever since she and Puck had made their little announcement, the calls and attention never stopped. It was wonderful knowing she and Puck had so many people in their lives that they could count on and that supported them and their growing family and while they loved them all dearly, but they both needed a breather. Everything had happened so fast, from finding out she was pregnant and going for her first sonogram to telling everyone in less than a 3 week span of time, so she welcomed any type of distraction at this point.

After the Thanksgiving holiday ended, she still had about 3 weeks and a set of finals left before she would officially finish her academic career at The Ohio State University and would be free to move up to New York and start a new chapter of her life with Puck. She felt bad that she would probably have to hole up in her apartment or in the library to finish up a few papers and study for her exams during that time and probably wouldn't be able to spend too much time with her friends or with Puck, but she was so close to being done and graduating that she couldn't afford to slack now.

While Britt and Santana tried their hardest to get Quinn to go out with them several times to have a few last 'ladies nights' before she moved, Quinn had to continue to remind them that she was pregnant and thus couldn't go out and drink with them. The girls finally stopped bugging her and agreed to spend several nights in, watching movies and pigging out, having their own girls' night instead.

Puck also managed to stay busy while Quinn was studying her life away those few weeks. He and Finn actually drove back up to Ft. Drum for a week, the boys pretty set on finding new places to live once they were finally required to report back in. The boys had both been earning their usual pay while they served overseas and began earning a pretty substantial "overseas hazard pay" bonus as well, and since there was really nothing to spend their money on over in Afghanistan, they both accrued a fairly sizable nest egg to use toward their new places.

Finn and Puck had been sharing an apartment with Tex prior to their deployment, seeing as how both of their significant others were living elsewhere at the time, but since both men were married and Quinn was finally able to make the move up there, Tex and Vargas had actually signed a new lease together, leaving Finn and Puck to find their own places. Finn and Rachel had looked into a few places up near Ft. Drum and decided on looking at smaller apartments or condos, as Rachel was still paying rent on a place in the City when she was still working there.

On the other hand, Puck and Quinn had decided on looking for something a bit bigger, knowing they would need the space for their growing family, so Puck figured it would be worth his while to spend some of his time off to look at somewhat bigger condos and houses. Since the military tends to keep their Special Forces troops at specific bases and the 10th Mountain Division was only stationed at Ft. Drum, Puck felt good about finding a more permanent home knowing that he wouldn't get reassigned to any other bases in the U.S. any time soon.

After searching for a day or two and talking to some of the guys at the base that all had families and were settled down, Puck found the perfect little two story house right off base. It looked like it was plucked straight out of Midwest suburbia, complete with a wrap-around porch, white shutters and a pretty decent sized yard. He knew it was _the one_ as soon as he and Finn pulled up and he couldn't help visualize the possibilities this house could bring. A couple of kids running around the yard chasing after a dog while he and Quinn watched on from their perch on a porch swing, bar-be-cues with Finn's family and the other guys from his team, family holidays; the images making him smile as they got out and explored the property.

It took a few days for the financing to go through but by the time the guys were ready to make their trip back to Ohio, both Finn and Puck had signed new leases and found themselves proud new renters. Puck hoped that Quinn would like the place, and despite the many reassurances from Finn that she would love it, he still was nervous to unveil his new Graduation/Christmas present when they did make the move.

x-x-x-x-x

While Puck was up in New York, Quinn's mom decided to show up in Columbus one weekend, insisting that she, Britt and Santana pack their bags for a girls' weekend in Chicago. Quinn wanted to protest, trying to say that she still needed to finish up the one paper she had left, but her mother assured her that she would have a 5 hour drive both ways to work on her paper, essentially guilt-tripping her daughter into spending time with her before Quinn moved away. A bonding trip, she called it, and made it even more enticing once Judy had explained that she wanted to help Quinn and Puck furnish their home as a Christmas gift.

Quinn was a bit confused, as for all she knew Puck still hadn't found a place for them to live yet, but she wasn't about to turn her mother's generosity down. That would just be rude! So she, Santana and Britt scrambled to put their luggage together, all piling into Quinn's mother's luxury SUV and heading off toward the Windy City.

Once they reached their destination, Judy treated them to a spa afternoon and dinner at a fairly well known steak house restaurant downtown before calling it a night. The next day they spent wandering around the city, checking out small boutiques before Judy pulled up in front of one of the most massive buildings Quinn had ever seen: IKEA. The outside of the warehouse was an eyesore, its bright yellow and blue a bit of a turn off, but once they were inside the monolithic structure, the women were amazed at the amount of furniture they were able to cram in there.

What was even better were the low prices at which they sold their stuff. A sales associate explained their whole shipping and delivery process as well, and Quinn was sold, immediately making a mental list of the furniture she already had and what she thought she and Puck would need. They already had bedroom furniture, a couch and kitchen wear, but everything else belonged to Santana or Britt, so she went around the store with the other girls, making notes and taking pictures of the pieces she liked the best with her phone.

Quinn picked out a kitchen table, a loveseat, coffee table, end tables, some bathroom fixtures, a full nursery set for the baby, some wall art and a new comforter and sheet set for the bedroom… Puck was probably sick of all the pink she had going on at this point. Britt and Santana had also managed to find a whole slew of yellow duck towels, decorations and even a mobile for the baby's room, Brittney particularly thrilled that the couple had decided on sticking with the duck theme since they still weren't 100% sure as to what the gender was just yet.

Much to her surprise, Judy continued to agree with a lot of the stuff Quinn picked out, even suggesting a few extra pieces for the living room and the baby's room in the process. Little did Quinn know that Puck had already sent a picture of the house he found and the dimensions of the rooms to her earlier that week so she knew what she was working with. What shocked Quinn even more was the fact that her mom didn't even blink when she pulled out her credit card and offered to pay for the whole order.

Quinn was in tears at the gesture, truly touched that her mom was not only willing but excited to be a part of this baby's life and explained that she still regretted turning Quinn away the first time this happened so she wanted to do what she could to help her and Puck out. They paid and put the shipment on hold until Quinn could provide them with an address for their new home.

They spent the rest of the weekend hanging out and seeing the sights, enjoying their time together before the whirlwind this Christmas season and the move will bring. The girls reminisced and told stories, Judy laughing along while telling the girls they 'made her feel young again.' They all razzed Quinn a little for being the old lady of the group, Santana taking a few shots at her by saying her mom was more fun to hang out with than the married and pregnant 22 year old. Through it all, Quinn found herself laughing so hard she was in tears, appreciating the love and support that surrounded her and enjoying the weekend with her mom and best friends.

* * *

><p>After a few weeks of studying and one much needed girls' trip to Chicago, the big day finally arrived. Quinn carefully sets out her black graduation cap and gown and fixes her make-up one last time before saying goodbye to Puck, Santana and Britt and heading toward their basketball arena where the graduation will take place. After about 45 minutes of maneuvering all of the graduates and getting everyone into their places, the processional began and everyone walked out to their seats.<p>

All of the families and friends of the graduates were seated in the stands while the grads were seated in chairs on the basketball hardwood. There were so many people there it was going to be difficult to point out family members, but it didn't stop Quinn from looking around and trying to spot Puck in the crowd. After her unsuccessful attempt to find him, she went back to listening to the speeches, almost falling asleep several times throughout the monotony before they were called up to receive their diplomas.

She stood and made her way to the front near the stage, waiting for her name to be called. As soon as she heard "Lucy Quinn Fabray, Magna Cum Laude," she put on her best smile and made her way across the stage, shaking hands with the president of the university before taking her diploma and walking off to have her official picture taken.

Once the ceremony finished and the graduates were dismissed, she made her way over to the area she and her mom had agreed on meeting at, being greeted with a massive bear hug from both Brittney and Santana, tears from her mother and one of the best congratulatory kisses she could have imagined from Puck. While she still thought the surprise kiss they shared at their high school graduation may have been better, seeing as it was the catalyst that sparked their relationship again, this one was definitely up there.

Puck handed her flowers and the group all posed for pictures, snapping several shots until Quinn's mom cleared her throat and told her that somebody else wanted to congratulate her as well. Mrs. Fabray stepped out of the way and their not-so-little 5 ½ year old daughter Beth stepped forward shyly, being coaxed a bit by Shelby.

The woman smiled down at the little blonde, before signaling for her to go give her flowers to Quinn. Quinn bent down and the little girl clambered up into her arms, mother and daughter enjoying a moment while the group took pictures. Puck jumped in there as well, unconsciously placing a hand over Quinn's stomach while Mrs. Fabray and Santana snapped away, capturing the little family on film.

Seeing Beth at her graduation was probably the best surprise Quinn could have imagined, and the whole group went out for lunch at a local sandwich shop before parting ways, Puck and Quinn cuddling with their little girl a bit before her and Shelby needed to head back toward Lima. It finally struck Quinn that she and Puck would be moving up to New York for good now, only coming back to Ohio for holidays and other miscellaneous visits, but that they would permanently be living several hours away from their first born from here on out.

The thought alone made Quinn emotional, getting her all choked up on the drive home while leaving Puck confused as to what he did now to set her off. The pregnancy hormones were in overdrive these days, so Puck had kind of learned what he should or shouldn't say and what not to do to set her off, but this one had him stumped…until she explained the real reason behind the tears.

Puck hadn't really thought about the fact that they really were leaving Beth, and while it was tough to swallow and it would be hard not getting to see her every time he would come to visit Quinn, he tried to tell himself and his wife that everything would be ok and that they would make it a point to visit Ohio so they could see her. They would email Shelby and send pictures as well, the raven-haired woman excited to hear that the couple would be welcoming a new member of their family that upcoming spring. They had promised to send plenty of pictures and couldn't wait to introduce Beth to their little one, even if they still couldn't tell her the baby was her little brother or sister.

So he took her hand and kissed her knuckles, holding it and comforting her until they made it back to Quinn's. He promised they would both spend some time with Beth before they moved and he had gladly taken Shelby up on her offer to spend a good chunk of Christmas Day with the little girl as well. Although it probably wouldn't feel like enough time to the young parents, they would take whatever they could get.

* * *

><p>The rest of the holiday season seemed like it flew by in the blink of an eye. After spending a few days hanging out in Columbus, Puck helped Quinn pack up all of her belongings and loaded them all up into the U-Haul they rented for the move. He drove the truck back up to Lima where they were planning on spending the rest of the holidays before moving up to New York, leaving Quinn there with Santana and Britt to enjoy one last girls' night in. They ate all kinds of junk food, reminisced and cuddled together in Britt's bed, the three of them snuggling together and watching their favorite chick flicks together.<p>

It may look strange to outsiders, but the three of them had grown up together and loved each other like sisters…with the exception that now Britt and Santana were actually dating. Despite the catfights, manipulation and the all of the jealousy in their pasts, they always made time to hang out with one another and even snuck into each others rooms and snuggling in bed on Saturday mornings just to hang out for a while. It was a very strange and bittersweet feeling that one of them would soon be leaving and they wouldn't be able to have these bonding times anymore.

So they cherished their time together, watching Mean Girls and The Sweetest Thing while eating ice cream straight out of the carton. Midway through the second movie, Quinn felt a slight pain in her stomach and a tiny bump come after that. She smiled knowing what had just happened and grabbed both of her friends' hands, holding them to her stomach where she felt the nudge, her friends confused at first but shocked as hell when they felt the slight nudge move against their fingertips again. Even though she was at 5 months and the baby wouldn't be really active for another month or so, she was happy to finally feel him or her moving around in there and she was glad her friends were there to feel it, the smiles on their faces priceless when they realized what had just happened.

She did feel somewhat guilty that Puck hadn't been the first one to feel the baby move, but he was the first one to feel when she was pregnant with Beth and he would be there the whole time this little one was moving all around so he would get his chance. She smiled as she leaned back into the pillows, the three of them going back to watching their movie for a while before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning was tough, as Quinn loaded the last of her bags and clothes into her car before turning back around to say goodbye to her friends. Taylor had stopped over to say his goodbye and she went up to him and hugged him first. He was slated to go pro the next year and she didn't doubt that he would do amazing things in the NFL. He had finally found another guy, a business major, who he had been seeing for a while, and while she knew he wanted and needed to keep it under wraps for a while, at least until he got his career sorted out, she was sad that he wasn't able to be as carefree as Kurt was out in public. She kissed him on the cheek and told him that he needed to stay in touch, even after he was famous and had millions of dollars. He pulled back and wiped his eyes quickly before promising her that she would never get rid of him easily. He thanked her for always being his friend and he asked her to give Puck his best when she saw him.

She smiled softly before turning toward where Santana and Britt stood, the blonde already in tears while the Latina tried to hold it together, her eyes watering a touch as she tried to glance around to avoid Quinn's gaze. Britt walked up to her first, flinging her arms around Quinn and telling her that she would miss living with her but they were thinking of moving to New York after they graduated in May so hopefully they wouldn't be apart for long. As Quinn held her close, Santana walked up and put her arms around the others, the Latina finally letting her emotions out as she cried silently on Quinn's shoulder.

They stood there for a few moments, the winter air not affecting any of them as they hugged each other. Finally, Santana broke apart, swiping under her eyes to clean up her mascara before telling Quinn that she would miss her. She patted Quinn's baby bump, giving her a genuine smile before suggesting the name 'Santana' if it were a girl.

Quinn laughed and pulled each of them back in, giving them both a quick kiss on the cheek and telling them that she loved them, thanking them for always being there for her over the past several years before pulling away and wiping away her running mascara. She gave the three people standing in her driveway a brief wave and a smile before she climbed into her car and backed out of the drive, making her way toward the highway to head back to Lima.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

While Quinn had managed to get most of her Christmas shopping done early that year when they went to Chicago, she still remembered to pick up several gifts to take over to Puck's mom's house for Hanukkah. She was excited that his mom let her participate in the holiday and even let her help cook and prepare all of the traditional foods for each of the eight days.

She was thrilled when everyone seemed to like all of the gifts she picked out and was even more touched on the last night when Puck's mom gave her a scrapbook filled with pictures of her and Puck throughout the years, starting with class pictures and fieldtrip photos from when they were in kindergarten. The photos of the two of them thinned out over a few of the middle school and early high school years but she somehow managed to find several photos from the time Quinn lived with them her sophomore year and after, displaying many photos of the two of them and Beth from various times throughout the years.

She included a picture of them dancing together at Regionals their sophomore year, and a picture someone had snapped of them at their high school graduation, and even included several pictures of Quinn cheering at OSU and Puck all suited up in his military gear. Finn and Rachel's wedding was in there, as was theirs, and she topped it off with their most recent ultrasound picture and a photo Mrs. Fabray had taken of them and Beth at Quinn's graduation just a week prior. She left plenty of room in the back, explaining that they would have to add on as their story progressed throughout the years but she wanted them to have something to look back on when they got older.

Quinn hugged the woman and thanked her for her kindness, Puck's mom admitting that she took half of the pictures from Puck's photo stash he had in his room and that she was more than happy to do it for them. After sitting around with his family for a while longer, Quinn rested her head against his chest as she murmured that she was excited that they would be able to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas with their little one. He sighed and kissed the top of her head, telling her this kid was going to be super spoiled but definitely well loved.

x-x-x-x-x-x

When Christmas finally arrived, Quinn and Puck spent most of the day Christmas Eve with Quinn's mom. Her sister and her husband had flown in to spend the holiday with them that year and it marked the first year in a while they were all able to get together to spend Christmas together. While Puck wasn't so sure about Quinn's brother-in-law at first, the man appearing really stuffy and no fun, the two of them ended up sitting around and watching football or talking about Puck's time in the military for hours while the women baked and cooked an amazing Christmas Eve feast.

After eating and clearing the dishes, the family decided to open a few presents before they went to midnight mass that evening. Quinn's sister had gotten her and Puck a whole slew of new baby clothes and Quinn's mom couldn't help going out and getting more toys for the baby, even though she had already purchased half of IKEA. Puck's grandparents had sent the two of them a new stroller and while he was incredibly thankful for their generosity, he had to grumble a bit at the thought that he was going to end up figuring out how to move all of this stuff up to New York here soon.

After all the excitement had wound down, Puck went upstairs and fished out his gift to Quinn before heading back down the stairs, finding her curled up on the couch enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and watching a Charlie Brown Christmas. He handed her the small box and she stared at him with a slightly confused look on her face, seeing as how they both agreed not to get each other much for the holidays so they could put most of their money toward their new place and stuff for the baby.

She opened the small box to reveal a rather non-descript silver key, her eyes glancing up to search Puck's gaze for some answers. He only smiled back and told her to keep it safe until they moved, claiming that he had yet to get a few copies made and they would need it come January. She smiled back and asked if it was what she thought it was, the blonde pouncing on him and kissing him hard when he told her he found a place that would be perfect for their family and had already signed the lease. Her mom came into see what all the fuss was about and simply shared a knowing smile with Puck when Quinn explained what he had given her. They rounded the family up and made their way to the church for mass.

Once mass had finished, they entire Fabray family came home and called it a night. After dozing for a few hours, Puck caught Quinn sneaking out of bed at around 3am and found her rifling through the Christmas cookies her and her sister had baked earlier, laughing and offering to pour his wife a glass of milk when she told him that it wasn't her fault for getting up in the middle of the night, the baby just wanted more cookies. They sat down in the kitchen and munched for a bit longer, Puck kissing her on the forehead and telling her to come back to bed soon since they had a long day tomorrow.

x-x-x-x-x

Quinn's alarm clock blared on her cell phone and she and Puck popped out of bed, taking turns showering and getting dressed before they jumped into Puck's truck and made the trek over to the Corcoran's house. Shelby told them to get there early on Christmas morning, seeing as how the little 5 year old would most likely wake up ridiculously early to see what Santa had brought her.

They got there at around 7am, knocking lightly on the door for a few moments until Shelby answered, leading the duo into the living room where their daughter was digging into a marshmallow Santa she had received in her stocking, the chocolate smeared all over her cheeks.

The little girl popped up off the floor, running toward Puck and Quinn while screeching "Uncle Puck" and "Aunt Quinn." Quinn felt her face falter a bit at the moniker, quickly hiding her sadness at the title and pasting a smile on her face before scooping her up in her arms and excusing the two of them to go clean Beth off a bit. Shelby sighed as she apologized to Puck and explained her reasoning behind the 'aunt and uncle' thing, the man nodding and agreeing with her that it may be confusing to the little girl if they were just friends or whatever. He was happy that she would think of them as her family, but it still stung a bit.

Once Quinn and Beth returned to the living room, Puck went outside to grab the presents they had gotten for their daughter and Shelby. They weren't sure what to get for the older woman, so Quinn's mom helped they pick out a few nice bottles of wine and they put together a little basket of wine, chocolates, and some other items so she could pamper herself a bit. Beth's eyes lit up when she saw all of the gifts they brought her, the little girl dragging the stuffed lamb Quinn and Puck had given her during their first visit all those years ago.

The couple was touched that she still had it and treasured it as much as she did, Puck's grip on Quinn's hand getting a bit tighter as she sauntered over to them. The duo helped her organize her presents, the little girl's eyes wide as she tore the paper away to reveal a new doll, a few new stuffed animals, a set of play food for her to use in the playhouse Shelby got her, and a toy basketball hoop (hey, Puck could dream right?). She actually loved the basketball hoop and Puck spent a good chunk of time setting it all up while Quinn helped Shelby cook and get ready for their afternoon supper.

Once dinner was over and everyone had eaten their fair share of Christmas cookies and pie, Beth walked over to Quinn and set her head on Quinn's bump, asking very point-blank, "Auntie Quinn, why are you getting fat."

Shelby snapped her fingers at the little girl, "Beth! That is a rude question to ask!"

Quinn just smiled and chuckled a bit, telling Shelby it was ok before turning back to the little girl, "No pumpkin, there is actually a little baby in there." Beth looked up at her curiously so she continued, "Me and Uncle Puck are having a baby."

Beth continued to stare a bit, then asked "How does the baby get out of your tummy and when will it get here? Do I get to see it when it comes?"

Quinn ruffled her little blonde curls a bit, choosing to skip over the first part of her question, "Well the baby will come out in about 4 months. It's still very little right now, but when it does get here, we would love for you to see the baby."

Seemingly satisfied with the answers, Beth pulled away and climbed into Puck's lap. Quinn looked over at Shelby, who nodded in understanding, before Quinn ran her fingers up the little girl's cheek, "Sweetie, there is something important we need to talk to you about." Beth nuzzled her face into Quinn's palm a bit before she continued, "Hun, Uncle Puck and I are moving to New York soon and that means we probably won't get to see you as often as we have in the past." Quinn sniffled a bit, trying to get this out without crying. "We get to see you a lot, and I know it will be tough not seeing you as often but-"

The little blonde scrunched her face and grabbed Quinn's hand away from her face, effectively cutting her off and asked "Why are you leaving?"

Quinn glanced over at Puck, his face falling a bit as his mouth tightened into that all too familiar frown. She smiled sadly, "Uncle Puck works in New York. He is a soldier in the Army and that's where he works. Since I finished college a few weeks ago, we are going to move up there so he can be closer to work. It's hard to explain but-"

The little girl cut her off again, grabbing her arm and hugging it close to her chest, "No!" she almost shouted, "No you're not allowed to go! You have to stay here! Please?" The little girl looked across the table at Shelby, "Mommy, tell them to stay! You can live here with us!"

Shelby gave her daughter a soft smile before Beth looked back up at Quinn and Puck, searching their faces for an answer. Quinn couldn't look at the little girl's face without losing it, tears already gathering in the corner of her eyes as the little girl clutched her arm tightly.

Seeing his wife struggle to explain what was going on about set Puck off too, so he decided to step in and help her out, "B, sweetheart, we wish we could stay too. We really do. We love seeing you and spending time with you and wish we could stay forever but we have to leave for a little while. We promise to come back when we can and we will always come visit on holidays. Does that sound ok?"

Beth continued to clutch Quinn's arm as she stared up at Puck, her eyes big as her chin began to tremble a bit. Puck blinked quickly and tears began to escape down Quinn's cheeks as the little girl began to tear up too. Shelby quickly jumped in to help soothe her little girl, "Beth, honey, we'll also go up there to see them too. Remember, we told Auntie Rachel and Uncle Finn we would visit them too and Uncle Finn works with Uncle Puck. You'll get to see them quite a bit. They aren't leaving forever."

"No, not at all," Puck and Quinn both reiterated. "We're not leaving forever. We'll probably get to see you soon!" Quinn chimed in, caressing the little girl's cheeks while she wiped away the tears.

After Beth had calmed down a bit, Quinn and Puck put the little girl to bed, hugging her and kissing her precious cheeks a few more times before saying goodnight. The two parents stood at the door for several minutes, Puck keeping a supportive arm around Quinn while she sobbed quietly as they watched their first-born sleep. She turned in his arms and he kissed her forehead, wiping his eyes quickly to rid himself of the gathering moisture before taking one last look and shutting his daughter's door.

They went back downstairs and thanked Shelby for the wonderful day, hugging the woman before she reassured them they were welcome whenever. They extended the same greeting, Puck writing down all of their new information and parting ways with the woman. As soon as they got back in the car, Quinn began sobbing again. She knew her hormones were in overdrive as it was and having to say goodbye to Beth for an indefinite amount of time was simply the icing on the cake to make her lose it completely.

Puck simply took her hand and threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close and allowing the two of them to cry for a while. They sat there for several minutes, holding each other before Puck finally started the truck and began to drive back to Quinn's mom's house.

* * *

><p><em>Almost January<em>

After an emotional few weeks back in Ohio, Puck and Quinn finally got everything packed up and ready to make their move. They had been in contact with Rachel and Finn and decided to spend New Year's Eve with the duo in New York City before the four of them would make the trip up to Ft. Drum the next morning to report in. Quinn hugged and kissed her mom goodbye, waving at Santana and Britt who also came over to see them off before they swung by Puck's house for them to say goodbye to Mrs. Puckerman and Puck's little sister. After all of the waterworks and goodbyes, the two of them set off for New York City.

They got in there early, allowing them a day or two to enjoy the company before they all rung in the New Year. They saw a few of the sights and spent the nights checking out some of Rachel's favorite restaurants before enjoying a quiet night in to watch the ball drop. Rachel, Finn and Puck all indulged in a few glasses of champagne to celebrate the new year and all of the new things to come while Quinn was perfectly content with celebrating with a chocolate milk and a pint of Ben and Jerry's.

As the night wore on, the alcohol made Rachel start to get a little friskier and Finn finally pulled her off of him for long enough to excuse the two of them, letting the other couple know they would see them in the morning while Rachel continued to try and pry Finn's shirt away from his body. Quinn and Puck sat on the couch and giggled together for a bit longer, laughing when they heard a few crashes and something break in the other room before heading into Rachel's guest bedroom.

Once they were all settled into bed, Puck and Quinn could still hear Finn and Rachel from across the apartment, Quinn giggling at the irony and realization that this is probably what Santana and Britt had to listen to multiple times over the course of the past few years. She snuggled up near Puck, who proceeded to trace lazy circles on her protruding bump, his breath warm on her back as he gently kissed her shoulders and the column of her neck.

Quinn couldn't help feel a slight tingling from the way he was touching her, his fingertips caressing their way under her t-shirt and working their way around her stomach and sides. He kissed her in the spot that never failed to drive her absolutely wild right under her earlobe as his hand made its way under the hem of her sleep shorts, slowly kneading the flesh near her hipbone.

His ministrations felt so damn good and it had been a while since she had been able to enjoy her husband's touch, a small moan escaping her throat as his fingers ventured lower. She eased her legs open a bit wider, leaning back into his embrace and turning her head to the side, looping her arm around his neck as she met his kiss. He drew her in deeply, swallowing her moans as he continued his exploration for a bit longer. Finally, Quinn could barely take it anymore, twisting in his arms until they were flush against each other, the small bump providing a slight barrier between the two of them.

Clothes were strewn around the room quickly as she felt his strong hands make contact with her skin, his fingertips leaving a wake of fire as they trailed down her back and up her thighs. She had been nervous that he may not find her all that attractive once she had started getting bigger, but the look in his eyes as he stared up at her easily put her to rest, the need and desire shining through brightly as he took them both under the sheets.

She had to admit it was somewhat humorous that the two couples in the apartment were essentially trying to 'out-moan' one another, but her entire train of thought went blank as soon as Puck hit a particularly sensitive spot, Quinn tumbling into his chest as he continued to show her how much he still wanted her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, the two couples made their way to the parking garage where they left their vehicles, getting on the road early so they would have time to stop off and explore their new places before the men had to report in at 5pm that night. After a few hours of driving, Puck finally pulled up to the small yet picturesque little house he and Quinn would call home. He smiled and shook her gently, waking her from her nap to tell her they were home.

She looked around and spotted the house, Puck grinning at the look of surprise and shock on her face as she takes in her surroundings. Puck jumped out of the truck, clambering around the front to help her out of her seat and up the front walkway. She took her key ring out of her purse and slid it in the lock, Puck escorting her inside and showing her around. The sheer joy on her face was totally worth the extra money Puck would be paying per month, but given his salary and his military housing stipend, it was definitely do-able.

The two of them spent the rest of the day unloading and Quinn began unpacking while the boys reported in. Rachel made her way over and the two women gawked over the new Puckerman residence, choosing to order a few pizzas and hang out while the guys were away. Their dinner had arrived just before the guys walked in bearing gifts of beer and chocolate milk while they all ate.

x-x-x-x-x

The first week or so in their new place was a bit uneventful. Rachel had graciously come over and helped Quinn unpack kitchen items and assemble the furniture IKEA had delivered while the boys were stuck in their debriefings. In turn, Quinn went to Syracuse with Rachel to help the brunette pick out some household items for her and Finn's apartment as well. They joked how they both felt so domestic already and they were only 22.

That same evening, Puck returned home from a meeting informing Quinn that they were doing some sort of medal and ribbon presentation for the returning soldiers that upcoming Saturday and he wanted to see if Quinn was free. She was excited for him once he confirmed that he was being awarded something but he wasn't quite sure just what yet, but nonetheless, she was proud of him and she was glad he was getting something to acknowledge what he had gone through.

Once Saturday had arrived, Puck put on his dress uniform while Quinn donned a simple black and white dress that seemed to flatter her figure, and the two of them set off toward the Officer's Club on base. Once they arrived, they took a seat at a table with Finn and Rachel, with Tex, Vargas and Hunt all trailing in behind them. They were surprised there were only about 20 other soldiers from their battalion there, thinking there would be more, but they then realized that these were only the Special Forces guys and that the rest of the base soldiers that had deployed with them came back earlier in the year.

The Executive Officer on post, General Hall, made his way to the microphone and offered a welcome speech, telling them they would get to the ceremony after dinner. They soldiers ate and talked with one another, joking around and sharing details about their own holidays.

Pretty soon the General got back up behind the podium and began to speak about the 10th Mountain Division's mission and how proud he was to command all of the men in the room. He called a few other soldiers up first, pinning a few things on each of them before they all shook his hand and returned to their seats.

General Hall then turned his attention to their table, asking all of the men to stand and come up to the stage. Puck gave Quinn's hand a slight squeeze before getting up and making his way to stand in line with his other unit members. Rachel leaned over and commented on how handsome they all looked standing up there and Quinn couldn't agree more… There was definitely something about a man in uniform that got her going.

After talking for a bit, the General proceeded to introduce each of the men, announcing that their team was one of the most called upon Special Forces teams on the ground in Afghanistan, going into several hostile environments and engaging the enemies as often as they had, securing valuable intelligence and protecting the civilians in many of the smaller villages from being overrun with insurgents.

Quinn saw Puck balk slightly when the General mentioned civilians, but he collected himself quickly and remained at attention through the duration of the General's speech. The General then proceeded to explain the medals each of the men would be receiving. Their team would receive several citations and medals for their meritorious service overseas, all of the men earning Good Conduct Medals, Afghanistan Campaign Medals, National Defense Service Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medals and Army Overseas Service Ribbons. Puck had explained earlier that many of the medals they would earn were simply for fighting overseas in a warzone and they weren't a big deal, but as Quinn watched them pin medal after medal on each of the men's chests, she would definitely beg to differ.

The General also announced that all of the men had earned their Combat Infantryman Badge in recognition of their personal engagement of hostile insurgents, after having been fired on multiple times over the course of their deployment. As the General pinned those badges on to each man's chest above their ribbon bars, Quinn shot a look at Rachel, the brunette grimacing as well at the implication of these particular badges. Quinn knew that Puck had probably seen more than he cared to share, especially when they went into that village but just the words that they had been fired on multiple times by hostile insurgents had Quinn making a mental note to both thank and smack Puck for leaving out that tidbit of information.

He then asked for Puck, Tex and Finn to step forward, each man receiving a Purple Heart for their injuries sustained in battle as he thanked them all for their selfless acts and for their sacrifice. Finally, Parker and Vargas were asked to step forward, the General awarding the men with the Army Commendation Medal for their meritorious service in immediately aiding their fallen soldiers and the injured civilians after the car bomb incident. The room applauded and the men returned to their seats, their uniform jackets feeling 10lbs heavier with all of their new decorations.

The General formally excused the soldiers, then commented that he would buy the next round as the party picked up a bit. Quinn leaned over to kiss Puck, telling him how proud of him she was and murmuring that they needed to talk about that combat badge he had earned. He gave her a sheepish grin before being pulled away by Hunt and a few guys from the other teams for some celebratory shots.

They danced the night away, Quinn tucking into her own personal hero's arms as they swayed with the music. Things were about to get really hectic in their lives in a few short months, so she would take whatever quiet moments they could get together.

* * *

><p>Since they had made the move, Quinn had been actively searching and applying for jobs at places up around the Ft. Drum area. She decided that she and Puck would have a lot going on in the upcoming months with his job and with the new baby and from what she had read, the first year of law school tended to be the most stressful. So Quinn went ahead and accepted a seat at Syracuse University's School of Law, then put in a request to defer her class status until their lives had calmed down a bit and they baby was a bit older.<p>

While that had been a big decision, she knew she needed a job and was thrilled to get several call backs from various law offices and investment and finance firms in the area. After weighing her options and checking out each place, she finally took a job as a financial analyst at a medium sized investment banking firm in Watertown, New York, which is only about a 20 minute commute from their home. The people there were kind and understanding regarding her pregnancy, and even offered her maternity leave right off the bat. She began working there and truly enjoyed what she did, and while crunching numbers all day may not be her true idea of fun, the paycheck sure made it worth it.

x-x-x-x-x

Once they finally had gotten a bit more settled, Quinn told Puck that she's probably past due for another ultrasound. They had one prior to them moving but they had been in New York a month and had finally received word that her files had all transferred to the hospital near base they had chosen to have the baby when the time came. They scheduled her for an appointment and Puck cleared his schedule for the day, wanting to go in for the 6 month check-up.

The new OBGYN went through the same routine with Quinn, asking her all sorts of questions about her cravings and the baby's movement, Puck smiling when Quinn told the doctor the baby had been active lately as he finally felt his little one kick a few weeks prior. She hopped up onto the exam table and the doctor squeezed more of the blue gel on her stomach, everyone in the room lighting up when they see their baby on the screen. They can hear the heartbeat loud and clear and can even see it move a bit before the doctor asks if they are ready to find out the gender of the baby.

Quinn smiled and told the doctor they had been wondering for a while, so she starts moving the ultrasound wand around until something catches her eye. "Well, see that right there," the doctor asks pointing at the screen, "that right there is the-"

"Penis!" Puck yelled, his face lighting up as he glanced between the screen and the doctor, "Those are _his_ family jewels right there, right?"

Quinn face-palmed herself at her husband's outburst but quickly slid her hand out of the way to stare up at the screen once she heard the doctor chuckle a bit, "Good observation Mr. Puckerman. That right there is your proof. Congratulations, you're having a little boy."

Puck lets out a huge whoop while Quinn stares at the screen, her smile wide as she takes in her little guy while her big guy continues to flip out with excitement. Puck leans forward and kisses her softly, repeating that they were having a little boy and asking her if she was happy with the results. While they had both talked about being happy for whatever, Puck was thrilled to be able to finally have a mini-me. She smiled back up at him and nodded her head, joking that she would somehow have to figure out how to deal with two little tornados of testosterone running around the house but reassured him that she was thrilled too. He knew Quinn secretly wanted another little girl, but he also knew she was truly happy and excited for their new little man to arrive as well. Plus, they have plenty of time to work on more baby-making later on.

On their way home, they call their families and close friends, announcing that they were expecting a little boy and being met with a barrage of possible names for their little one. Once they make it back, they begin to discuss possible names, quickly discounting any names Puck could make fun of or that sounded stupid while Quinn immediately told him not to even think about suggesting names such as Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Jose Cuervo or even Captain Morgan. They continue to discuss more names and while they both continue throwing out name ideas, nothing seems to fit just yet.

* * *

><p><em>Mid-Spring<em>

As the months pass, Quinn and Puck decide to opt out of Lamaze classes, seeing as how both of them were super busy and this wasn't their first rodeo. Their friends and family continue to call and give their input as to what they should name their son but nothing seems to fit their fancy at the moment. Quinn continued to commute to her job every day and Puck continued to train with his unit, the men slowing getting back into gear after their time off. Despite their hectic schedules, Puck could easily say that he thoroughly enjoyed coming home every night to Quinn and his ever-growing son. It was much different than the last time he was living here and training with the boys, seeing as how Quinn was still living in Columbus, but there was definitely something more comforting about getting to come home to his family versus going home to his apartment with Finn and Tex.

When they weren't training or working, the Hudson's and the Puckerman's spent quite a bit of time together, the couples hosting dinner nights at their respective places and inviting all of Puck and Finn's teammates to join in, providing all of the men with that Midwestern warmth and the promise of a home-cooked meal. They all appreciated it and the group of men bonded quite well with the two women, their homes providing a nice reprieve from the cold, hard world of the military.

Once March rolled around and all of the universities were on Spring Break, Rachel, Santana and Britt decided to host a baby shower for Quinn back in Ohio. Quinn took a few days off of work and ended up flying down there to see her friends and family, despite the fact that traveling at just about 8 months pregnant was unbelievably uncomfortable. She got tons of swag and had quite a bit of fun visiting with everyone, her friends and family reiterating their excitement at being able to meet the little guy soon.

While Quinn was gone, Puck and his team finally got a much needed three-day weekend. The men decided to take Puck out for a guys' night to grab some celebratory drinks as they all concluded that hadn't had the time to properly congratulate him on becoming a dad…again. Many of the guys had seen the pictures Puck kept of his daughter while they were over in Afghanistan, and while they all knew the basic story about how he and Quinn had a little girl back in high school and they ended up giving her up for adoption, they really had no idea how much it truly affected Puck and Quinn in the long run. Finn, however, knew their whole history and understood how important and special having this baby was to Puck, so he rallied the guys together and they all went out to a local pub.

They were all having a good time, hanging out drinking while shooting pool and playing darts when Hunt passed Puck a drink. He took a sip and while it was definitely strong, Puck really enjoying the flavor. He turned to Hunt and asked him what it was, the man turning back to the bartender and ordering a round of shots for all six of them, the men toasting Puck and his future little soldier before shooting them back. Hunt wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and told him it was Jameson Irish Whiskey, which according to Hunt, was far superior to any of its American whiskey counterparts.

Puck laughed at his friend as he continued to explain that his family was very Irish Catholic and the only kinds of liquor you could find in their home growing up was Jameson, Baileys and Guinness. Puck chuckled, joking that the crazy Catholics (Hunt and Vargas) sounded like a lot of fun, albeit slight alcoholics.

They teased him back for not having any good liquor coming out of Israel but Puck simply nodded, acknowledging that they had a good point while he continued to shoot some pool. After sitting back and listening to the rest of his teammates talk about kids, his mind started wandering back to his own little unnamed guy. After hearing Hunt order another round, Puck felt like a light bulb went off in his head and he smiled widely at the thought of the name that just popped into his head.

x-x-x-x-x

Once Quinn made it back to New York, Puck helped her unload all of the baby gear she picked up at her baby shower, the nursery almost ready for their new arrival as Puck worked tirelessly to paint and get everything set up before April. As soon as Quinn saw the progress he had made on the nursery, she wanted to cry, thinking the whole set up was perfect.

The two of them ended up sitting down in the rocking chairs in the new nursery, discussing their respective weekends when Puck decided to go ahead and throw out the name he thought of that weekend. At the suggestion, Quinn's face lit up, thinking the name sounded perfect despite the numerous nicknames Puck had already come up with. She had been thinking about names during her whole visit back to Ohio and decided to toss out a name Puck's little sister had suggested earlier that weekend, Quinn not quite sold on it as a first name but loved it for a middle name. They both sighed with relief, finally agreeing upon the name they would give their little boy when he finally got there.

Quinn had continued to go to work but had definitely slowed down in her condition, struggling to get around as the aches and pains started getting to her in her third trimester. She felt like she would never stop expanding, feeling like a whale the closer to her due date she got. She was always sore, her ankles swelling and her back killing her, but she had to give Puck a lot of credit for having a lot of patience and an unlimited supply of back and foot rubs for her at the end of the day.

He was really taking this pregnancy well, despite her crazy cravings and mood swings, though she knew he enjoyed certain perks of her pregnancy hormones, namely the fact that she had been getting easily turned on every time she saw him this pregnancy and practically jumped him on a daily basis. Puck definitely wasn't complaining, but he did wish she would slow down a bit.

She knew basically what to expect from her first pregnancy, but she was also acutely aware of how much she hated being pregnant both times. She loved her baby, but the being pregnant part sucked. At just over 8 months, she had gotten used to being fairly independent and going about her day normally but it was still getting tough.

Puck was still out training like crazy and she just had this strange sinking feeling he may be re-deployed sometime soon. She had heard that they typically give people about a year to a year and a half off after each deployment but it was still a scary thought.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The last weekend in March, Puck informed Quinn that his team was scheduled to do a field exercise for the following weekend and he would be gone for about three days. He voiced his concern about her being so close to her due date, but she assured him she would be fine. She hadn't experienced any pains or false contractions and she truly felt like they had plenty of time. Truthfully, she was ecstatic for the weekend, as she finally would have some time to just unwind and chill out.

Puck would be out in the mountains from Thursday through Sunday on maneuvers, and while she was slightly bummed they wouldn't be able to have the weekend just to themselves, she was looking forward to the peace and quiet for a few days. Since Rachel had currently been staying with Finn for the past few weeks, Puck told her that he wanted her to check in with Rachel every so often and Quinn assured her that the two women had already planned on having a little girls' night anyway. He said he wasn't happy about the whole thing, but he couldn't help the situation, so he kissed her goodbye and headed off toward base.

On Thursday night, Quinn decided to draw herself a nice bath, indulging in some fancy bath salts and soaps. She lit a few candles and put on some soft music, getting herself settled in the tub before closing her eyes and relaxing. After soaking for about five minutes, she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. It definitely startled her but she figured the baby was just feeling particularly antsy and active that night. Figures he would feel like going crazy when Quinn was trying to relax.

While the baby continued to move the rest of the night and she continued to feel tight knots of pain in her lower back, she decided to brush them off, assuming they were nothing out of the ordinary. She still had a few weeks to go and the baby had been quite active lately anyway, but given her past pregnancy with Beth and all of the info the doctors and WebMD had provided, it wasn't all that unusual for the baby to be active at this stage.

However, after a restless night of sleep on Thursday, Quinn found herself praying that the little man would just calm down, his kicking and punching really causing some serious discomfort as she tried to go about her day cleaning and picking stuff up around the house before Rachel was set to come over. Despite her best wishes and prayers, he did not settle down and Quinn starting to cramp badly at the pain.

After lying on the couch for a while, hoping it would go away, Quinn decided to get up and go for a walk. It had eased her discomfort in the past so she figured it would work but the pains seemed to get worse.

She finally jumped in the shower, trying to let the warm water soothe her achy body when she felt a quick release of pressure followed by a wave of pain. Her eyes shot open wide as she remembered that same feeling hitting her all those years ago after coming off of the stage at Regionals.

_This could not be happening right now_, she thought as she shut off the shower.

She tried to get out of the shower and dry off as quickly as she could, slipping into the closest pair of sweats and grabbing her cell phone. She immediately dialed Puck's cell phone, getting his voicemail several times before it finally hit her that he was out on maneuvers that weekend. She let off a string of curses in his voicemail, telling him he better get his ass home soon or she may kill him herself.

She started to panic slightly, her breathing getting labored as worry started to flood her body. The baby needed to stay in there for a little while longer! She couldn't do this right now!

She needed Puck to be there!

She could not have this baby by herself. He was there for the birth of Beth and while she knew Rachel would be there for her this time, it wasn't the same. She was still only 22 years old and really wanted her husband and her mom to be there. She knew her mom probably wouldn't get there in time but why the hell did Puck have to leave for maneuvers this weekend?

_This could not be happening_, she repeated over and over, _this could not be happening now! _

She tried to cross her legs and breathe through it, hoping it was just Braxton Hicks or whatever but the pains kept getting worse. She dialed Rachel's number quickly, sitting on the bed and trying to take deep breaths while the dial tone sounded in her ear. Finally, Rachel picked up, offering her the usual chipper Rachel Berry greeting before Quinn felt a contraction hit her hard.

She almost screamed into the phone, yelling Rachel's name into the receiver as she tried to breathe through the pain. Rachel started to freak out a little, quickly asking Quinn a million questions before Quinn could say anything, the blonde only being able to cry out "Baby…coming" in response.

Rachel tried calming Quinn down, telling her she would be there soon but Quinn was only half listening. Another contraction hit her hard and she couldn't help the words that came screaming out of her mouth.

"Ahhhh, I can't do this yet! Where is my husband?"

x-x-x-x-x-x

_TBC…_


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N:** _Sorry it has taken so long to update! I really have no good excuse for the delay besides the fact that my litigation schedule picked up and it was my daughter's birthday so I hope you all aren't too upset with me… Having said that, I want to thank all of you for sticking with me after the long delay and I especially want to give a shout out to all of you who took the time to check out my one-shot __Something Different.__ The response was overwhelming and I appreciate all of the support and reviews!_

_I also want to apologize for this chapter being a bit shorter than the rest…I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, and yet it's still 7000+ words. I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think _

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24<strong>

_Quinn almost screamed into the phone, yelling Rachel's name into the receiver as she tried to breathe through the pain. Rachel started to freak out a little, quickly asking Quinn a million questions before Quinn could say anything, the blonde only being able to cry out "Baby…coming" in response._

_Rachel tried calming Quinn down, telling her she would be there soon but Quinn was only half listening. Another contraction hit her hard and she couldn't help the words that came screaming out of her mouth._

"_Ahhhh, I can't do this yet! Where is my husband?"_

x-x-x-x-x

Rachel heard Quinn scream into the phone and mutter the words 'baby coming,' and she was flying out the door. She attempted to reassure Quinn that she would be there in a few moments, but all she heard in response was a few grunts then the phone go dead. Being a tad dramatic, she started flipping out, thinking that something horrible had happened but when she arrived at the Puckerman residence a few minutes later and ran through the front door, she found Quinn trying to control her breathing as she waddled to the front of the house, apologizing for dropping the phone when another contraction hit.

She helped Quinn out to her car and sped toward the hospital where she was scheduled to deliver, dialing the ER on the way to notify them of their impending arrival. As soon as they made it to the hospital, Rachel darted out of the car and ran into the ER entrance, grabbing the first nurse she saw and asking them to get a wheelchair for her friend who had just gone into labor. The nursing staff acknowledged that they had been waiting for the two of them to arrive since receiving Rachel's call and dashed out to the vehicle.

The nursing staff and Rachel all helped Quinn out of the car and troop made their way into the military base medical facility, Quinn relaying details about who her OBGYN was for when the time came to finally deliver. They got her situated in a room, but when the nurses left for a bit to let Quinn rest, the blonde became furious, staring Rachel down and demanding to know where Puck was.

Rachel knew it was really just the hormones and the stress of the situation that was making her this way and that Quinn didn't intend to be so mean toward her but angry Quinn still freaked her out, so she told her she would make a few calls to see what was going on before quietly slipping out of the room.

Once out in a designated waiting room, Rachel flipped open her phone and began dialing practically every number she had in there. She tried to get a hold of Puck multiple times and even tried calling Finn but she had no luck on either of their cells, figuring they had left them in the team ready room when they went out on maneuvers. She made a mental note to speak with the hospital staff about contacting the men in the field before dialing the next number she found.

She called Quinn's mom, who sounded like she had started hyperventilating the second Rachel told her Quinn went into labor, the older woman on the end of the phone reassuring her that she was headed to the airport as soon as possible to fly up there to see her new grandson. She also called Puck's mom, who had an equally similar reaction to the news, the woman getting all sorts of excited at meeting the new baby, the elder Puckerman still sad she never really got to see baby Beth in the hospital after she was born.

Once Rachel had notified Puck and Quinn's families, she went ahead and sent out a mass text to all of their friends, letting them all know what was going on and telling them to expect pictures soon. Britt was the first to text back with a "Hooray for Babies!" followed by San, who wanted to know all of the details as to what was going on and where they were. Santana must have really wanted to make her point because she text back shortly thereafter, mentioning that she and Britt were graduating in a month and they were enrolled in some pretty easy classes and figuring since they hadn't seen Quinn in a while, they decided to take some time off to come and visit. Well, that and Santana also might have mentioned, in all caps mind you, that she was coming so that she could fight Rachel to the death if needs be to become the baby's godmother. After sending a quick reply message further egging Santana on, Rachel got a quick response letting her know that she and Britt were packing their stuff and would head that way as soon as they could.

As soon as the text message barrage ceased, Rachel tried dialing Puck and Finn again, getting their voicemail in the process. She cursed quietly, heading off in the direction of the nurse's station. She found one of the hospital administrators, notifying her that her friend was in labor and her husband was on base but out on maneuvers that weekend and that he needed to get here ASAP. The admin lady told her that it wasn't protocol to interrupt military exercises, regardless of where they were on or off base, but Rachel wasn't having it. Quinn was going to strangle her if she didn't have an answer as to where Puck was when she went back into that room, so she put on her best actress face and basically threatened the woman until she acquiesced and told her they would try to notify the XO of the unit and try to get in touch with the team.

Rachel calmed down a bit and even thanked the woman before she scampered off quickly back toward the direction of Quinn's room. Even though the woman told her they would try to contact the unit in the field, she wasn't 100% sure they weren't just giving her lip service so she decided to try one last ditch effort.

She decided to call the direct line to the team's ready room that was only to be used in absolute emergencies from the unit members' families, otherwise it had to stay open for other emergency calls from various military officials or agencies. She dialed the number just as she heard Quinn scream at someone down the hall, feeling completely justified in calling the line as this was obviously an emergency. Or at least it would be for anyone who crossed Quinn's path afterward if she didn't hear from Puck soon.

Someone on the other line picked up and asked for proper verification, to which Rachel responded with her name and who she was related to. She began to explain the situation as quickly as she could, holding up the phone so he could hear the loud crash and curses coming from down the hallway. The man on the other end of the line chuckled and told Rachel to watch herself as the girl in labor sounded like she was on a war path, of which Rachel didn't doubt at all. He told her he would do what he could to notify the team in the field as to what was going on but he couldn't make any promises. Rachel thanked him and hung up, turning around and mentally preparing herself to deal with Quinn.

As was completely expected, the moment Rachel stepped foot back in the room she was met by a very flushed and out of breath Quinn, the blonde shouting, "Where the _hell _have you been and where the _fuck_ is my husband?"

* * *

><p>Puck's unit had just hunkered down on a rather rocky hillside for a team orienteering drill, the group looking over their maps and pointing at locations all while communicating silently with one another and scoping out an "enemy target" off in the distance. They had already completed their main maneuver objective of the weekend the day prior and were all a bit relieved that the rest of the weekend consisted of the "cake activities," or things they thought were easier, like target practice, rappelling and defensive driving techniques on the mountain roads. Truth be told, they were all a little bored, having already completed the prior few orienteering drills with ease. At this point, they all were really just ready to blow something up.<p>

They had set their charges and mines at intervals near the target, trying not to get too close and tip off the spotter that was watching them from a nearby hillside positioned next to Hunt, whose job it was to be the eyes of the operation and whisper coordinate into their ear-pieces. Hunt called for the ok and Finn let it rip, detonating the charge as the men took cover behind the boulders. Once the dust settled, Hunt confirmed it was a kill and the men high-fived each other, looking out from their position to survey the damage for themselves.

Before they could really get a good look, both Hunt and Tex's main radios squawked, alerting the team to a new message from the commanding XO back at the base, Major Tom Mitchell. They all looked at each other in surprise, seeing as this never had happened before and they all wondered what was going on that was so important that he interrupted their weekend field drills. Tex answered the call, relaying his call sign and telling the Major to proceed.

"Miller, I need to speak to Specialist Puckerman. Put him on the horn." The Major was never very long winded or eloquently spoken, so Tex basically thrust the radio into Puck's hands, not wanting to get on the man's bad side if he stalled.

Puck rolled his eyes before answering, "Puckerman here. Over."

"Relay your coordinates, son. Where's your team at?"

Puck looked over at Tex, who quickly checked his map and told Puck where they were in the field, Puck relaying their location back to the Major.

"Looks like you are only a few miles out. Specialist Puckerman, your weekend orders have changed and you are to fall back and head toward camp. As for the rest of you, you can choose to remain in the field or you can head back with Puckerman. It's up to Lt. Parker."

Puck glanced over at Parker, confusion etched on their team commanding officer's face as he took in the news. Parker signaled for Puck to hand over the radio, "Major Mitchell, Lieutenant Parker here. No disrespect intended sir, but we still have a day in the field. Why the change?"

The men shared nervous looks, hoping this wasn't one of those situations you see in the movies where they get pulled back to base briefly before being told they needed to be deployed to some remote region of the world the following week… Oh wait, that already happened once.

The men had been training a lot lately, and hostilities in the Afghan and Pakistani mountain regions had been on the rise, so it was really only a matter of time before they were slated to head out again.

They waited and listened intently, wondering if they were going to get their asses chewed for questioning the XO's authority or not, all still confused as to why Puck had been singled out from the get go. Puck tried to rack his brain to think of what he possibly could have done wrong this time to get his ass yanked out of the middle of a field training exercise, his palms going clammy from the nerves as they waited to hear the response.

To their great surprise, Major Mitchell let out a quick chortle before responding, "Well, let's just say one of you has a very feisty wife who knows the right people to call to get her way." The men all snapped their gaze to Finn, the tall man raising his hands in surrender as they all knew how Rachel could be at times.

The radio squawked again, Major Mitchell coming back over the line one last time, "Oh, and you men should go ahead and congratulate Puckerman… He's about to become a father. You may want to double-time it back to the base hospital, son. Over."

As soon as Puck heard what the Major said and it registered in his brain, he froze. He glanced at Finn while the other men continued to stare at him, "Did I just hear – I mean, does that mean – Oh Fuck!"

He picked up his gear and slung it over his shoulders, taking off in a sprint in the direction of the main road they drove in on, not looking back to see if the others were following him or if Parker would berate him for essentially abandoning his position and his team, but he was positive he heard Vargas yell "Run Puck, Run" before the group burst out into laughter.

It was a brisk 2 mile run, but Puck was back at their briefing area and jumping into a Jeep less than 15 minutes later, peeling out of the dirt encampment and heading straight toward the base.

After speeding through the area and winding up at the hospital less than 40 minutes after he received the call from Major Mitchell, he screeched into the lot and threw the Jeep in park, leaving everything in the car. Despite the sprint earlier and the fact that his heart was racing so fast he thought it was going to burst through his chest, the adrenalin still surged through him, propelling his feet as he ran into the doors of the ER.

The people in the waiting room looked at him like he was an alien, still in his fatigues and covered in face paint, but he could care less about his appearance. He ran toward the window panting and telling the nurse that his wife was in labor and that he needed directions.

He ran toward the maternity ward, almost slamming into several nurses on his way to the area. He knew Quinn would be having a shit-fit at his absence, and he could only hope and pray that he made it in time and that he didn't miss anything. He went to run through the double doors and into the ward, when a doctor grabbed his shoulder and stopped him, asking him where he was headed. He told him and the doctor smiled, telling Puck he was headed that way too and he could follow him, but only if he walked through the hallways.

Puck allowed himself to crack the first smile he felt in the last hour, following the man who led him straight to Quinn's room. As he expected, his late arrival earned him a string of profanities from Quinn and a sigh of relief from Rachel now that she didn't have to listen to Quinn bitch anymore. Rachel got up and told them she was going to get coffee while Quinn continued to ask where he had been and why he wasn't answering his phone.

Before he could verbalize an answer, a big contraction hit and she groaned, breathing as best as she could through the pain. As crazy as it sounds, despite the fact that he knew his wife was hurting and he would do anything to make this easier, standing there and taking in the scene in front of him was simply amazing.

The last time they had been in this situation, they were both sophomores in high school, too young to appreciate the fact that not only did they create a human life, but they would finally get to meet their little one after a long 9 month wait. He felt the corners of his lips twist up into a smile as he watched Quinn ease down after the contraction, and despite the wild hair, no makeup, red face and slightly damp forehead, his heart ached at how beautiful she was lying there.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, he was broken out of his reverie by the cold sensation of ice chips hitting him in the face, "What the hell are you smiling at? I'm in _labor _over here and you're grinning like a friggin' idiot!"

Puck rolled his eyes. Typical Quinn. "It's nice to see you too, babe. I take it they haven't given you the drugs yet."

"I hate you."

"So that's a no?"

She flipped him off in response. As much as he loved a feisty Quinn, he figured he should probably go and find a nurse to drug her up or someone may die today considering the mood she was in.

"Aww, come on sweetie, you know you don't hate me. And I'm sorry I'm late. I seriously ran here. No joke." He grinned widely, hoping the charm would work in his favor, even if only just a little.

Another contraction hit and she grabbed his arm, her super-human pregnant woman strength surprising the hell out of him as she tightened her grip.

"Ahhh, I'm never having sex with you again Puckerman!" she yelled as she tried to breathe through the contraction.

Puck went to hold her up a bit and rub her back but one of the nurses stopped him, telling him he needed to scrub up and wash his face off before any more of his germs could contaminate the room.

"I'll be back soon, ok Q? I promise."

"Oh, you better fucking be. This one seems to be sucking more than the last one."

He made a quick exit and headed toward the washroom to scrub everything off of him. He threw on the smock the nurse had given him over his fatigues and went to head back to Quinn's room, only to hear a loud whistle come from the end of the hallway. He looked over to where the noise came from and saw the rest of his team had arrived behind him.

It was quite the scene to see the other five men standing around the waiting room talking to Rachel, the commandos looking completely out of place in the area surrounded entirely by balloons, stuffed animals and baby décor. He offered them a quick wave before heading back toward Quinn's room, Tex and Hunt shouting "Do Work" and "tell Quinn to give 'em hell" as he walked through the door.

As soon as he walked in, he was met with what could only be described as organized chaos. There were several nurses already prepping the room and hooking up monitors, Puck realizing that she must have been a lot further along than he initially thought.

Quinn screamed at him that "it was about damn time" and he quickly shuffled to her side, holding her hand as another contraction wracked her body. The nurses had called for the OBGYN a few minutes earlier and the good doctor made her entrance shortly after his arrival, checking Quinn's progress and notifying the nurses in the room that it was time.

Pretty soon the whole room was a flurry of activity, the doctor helping hoist Quinn's legs before telling her to push. Quinn clamped her eyes shut as the pain continued to shoot through her body. She clenched Puck's hand hard, cursing at him and telling him she would be divorcing him shortly after this is over.

He made the mistake of laughing at her which earned him an evil glare as she pushed harder, crushing his hand in the process. Puck was a pretty strong dude, but he swore to God he stood no chance against "pregnant woman strength."

Quinn screamed again as the doctor told her the baby was crowning. She kept telling Quinn to push while Puck was telling her to breathe and with the nurses murmuring in the background, Quinn couldn't help but start yelling "Shut Up" at everyone in the room multiple times. Puck took that as his cue to stop offering advice and instead looked down at the baby's progress, initially grossed out at the sight yet completely enthralled at what he was seeing.

After a few minutes of pushing, Quinn felt the pressure completely dissipate as she looked up Puck's face while he glanced over, slightly entertained at the face he was making as he stared at something outside of her view. She sat there frozen while a few moments passed, the seconds feeling like hours before they heard the baby wail out, Quinn relaxing her head against the pillow as the doctors held the baby up for them to see.

The doctor handed Puck a pair of surgical scissors and had him cut the umbilical cord, the nurses taking the little boy away for a bit as they cleaned him up and wrapped him in a blanket, handing him over to Quinn thereafter. As soon as the baby was laid in her arms, both parents felt their hearts leap, immediately entranced and in love with their new addition, Puck leaning down to kiss both his little guy and his wife on their foreheads while they gazed lovingly at their baby.

A thought all of a sudden hit Puck, the new father moving the blanket aside and giving his son the once-over, Quinn giving him a quizzical look as he did so.

"What? He's a boy and I got a little excited. I was just making sure I cut the right cord."

Quinn couldn't contain her laugh at how serious he looked yet how ridiculous he sounded, allowing a few tears of joy escape as she watched her husband smile and run his fingers over his son's tiny hands, the parents enjoying a quiet moment with their new little family.

The nurses murmured that they needed to take the little guy away for a few tests, Quinn gently handing him over as Puck followed closely behind, supervising the whole process and not allowing his baby out of his sight while they began to clean Quinn up. The nurses brought the baby back to the couple, the new mother looking up at Puck and asking him if he wanted to hold the baby. Puck looked incredibly nervous but sat on the bed next to Quinn, taking the baby and cradling him close to his chest, being careful to support his neck in the process.

Puck stared down at his little boy, tears welling in his eyes at the knowledge that this little guy was the best of both he and Quinn and that this time, they would be taking him home with them instead of saying their goodbyes at the hospital. He bent his head down and kissed his precious little cheeks, running his fingers over his son's tiny features and marveling at how small his hands and little body looked wrapped in Puck's large arms. "Hi little guy. I'm your daddy," he murmured, kissing his son gently on the forehead.

Quinn watched Puck's reaction, the tears flowing freely as she watched her husband and the infant interact, the little boy's eyes tracking his father's face as they engaged each other in a staring contest. She reached over and stroked the little guy's arm, getting Puck's attention in the process.

He glanced over to see her crying, her gaze fixated on the baby. He raised his hand and cupped her face, wiping a few of the stray tears away as he leaned in and kissed her, murmuring a string of "I love yous" and "you were amazing" and "he's perfect."

After sharing a few tender moments together, Quinn let out a small yawn, Puck glancing over and telling her that she should get some rest. She agreed and a nurse came in to take their son, both parents kissing him one last time before Puck escorted them to the nursery.

While Quinn rested up, Puck took the opportunity to head out to the waiting room to see who all was there. He rounded the corner and saw all of his teammates sitting there, still in face paint and their fatigues, flipping through magazines or talking with Rachel. They all popped up as soon as they saw him walk in.

"Well?" Rachel asked anxiously.

"He's got ten fingers, ten toes, my eyes, Quinn's nose, a gummy smile, and he's absolutely perfect!" he announced.

Rachel lets out an audible squeak as the rest of the guys cheer out their congratulations, his buddies coming up and giving him the customary handshakes. Rachel practically jumped on him as she hugged him tightly, Puck thanking everyone for their support and offering to show the rest of the guys his little boy through the windows of the nursery.

It must have been a sight to behold, the six huge commandos and one tiny brunette gazing through the window as the nursery attendant wheeled the bassinet forward so everyone could get a good look. They all congratulated him again, offering him pats on the back before excusing themselves and telling him they will all probably be back for celebratory cigars. He thanked them all for coming again, keeping his vigil in the window as they disperse.

x-x-x-x-x

While the men spent a few moments with Puck, Rachel snuck away and walked toward Quinn's room, rapping on the door a few times before being waved in by the blonde. Rachel asked how she was feeling and after chatting a bit and Rachel commenting about how beautiful the little boys was, she went ahead and let Quinn know that her mother had called to inform them she had just arrived at the Syracuse airport and she would be there in about an hour.

A nurse knocked and entered with Puck trailing after them, handing the little bundle over to Quinn and telling her the lactation nurse would be in soon as somebody would probably be a bit hungry when he woke up.

Puck joined Quinn on the bed and they stared at their little boy dozing peacefully in Quinn's arms. She was so exhausted and sore but she couldn't tear her eyes away, the two parents murmuring little phrases and sharing a quiet moment with one another, the couple completely oblivious to Rachel quietly taking a few pictures of the new family from the doorway.

x-x-x-x-x

After meeting with the nurse and feeding the baby, there was another knock on the door, Rachel escorting Quinn's mom into the room, Finn trailing the older Fabray as the new grandmother hurried quickly and quietly toward her daughter's bedside, anxious to meet the new addition. The small group chatted softly for a few minutes, the light murmuring still rousing the baby as he stirred in his mother's arms. Despite being woken up, the baby remained quite calm, the group all taking turns holding the little guy and posing for photos, the whole room erupting into laughter at how awkward Finn looked holding the little blue bundle, his gigantic condor arms practically swallowing the infant.

Quinn's mom let Puck know that she called his mom and the she and Puck's sister would be arriving the next morning. Puck felt terrible that he completely forgot to call his mom, but it was such a whirlwind of a day and he forgot his phone in the ready room, so he was sure she would understand.

The group enjoys themselves for a bit longer, joking about Puck's reaction to hearing Quinn was in labor, the crew getting a kick out of the fact that he literally ran a few miles to get to a Jeep and hightail it back to base, Quinn feeling slightly guilty at screaming at him before when he obviously made a hardcore effort to be there as soon as he could. They talked for a bit longer, the women cooing at the baby when Judy leaned down to ruffle the tiny tufts of hair on his head.

"So what's this precious little guy's name? Have you decided on one yet?" Quinn's mom asked, her eyes never leaving the baby in Quinn's arms.

Puck glanced over at Quinn, nodding his head in acquiescence, letting her tell her mother what they had decided on. Quinn smiled, announcing proudly, "Jameson Gabriel."

The group smiled back at the parents as they looked on dotingly, Judy speaking up first, "Sounds perfect to me."

Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's waist, the man pulling her closer and kissing her head as they looked on at the happy family. Quinn yawned again, her eyes fluttering as she tried to stay awake. Rachel's phone buzzed and she took it as a sign it was time to excuse herself and Finn to allow Quinn to get some rest. The duo slipped out into the hallway, Quinn's mother following close behind as she left the two parents with their son.

Puck told her she really needed to get some rest this time and he would keep watch over their boy. Even though she didn't want to give him up, she knew she needed to get more sleep than she did during her short nap earlier, another yawn escaping before she kissed her little boy one more time and gently passed the bundle over to her husband. Puck leaned down to capture her lips, telling her how amazing she is and how much he loved her before taking Jameson back out to the nursery.

x-x-x-x-x

Even though he was exhausted and physically drained, Puck didn't dare budge from his spot at the nursery window. Deep down, he was terrified of leaving or falling asleep or even blinking for fear that he would wake up and this would all be a dream. He was so fixated on the baby in front of him that he didn't even hear Finn walk up next to him and join him at the window, the taller man finally getting Puck's attention when he cleared his throat.

"I swung back through the base. Stopped to pick up our stuff from the ready room and I figured you may want this back." Finn explained, pulling Puck's phone out of his pocket and handing it over.

Puck glanced over at his friend, taking his phone and offering him a small smile in the process, "Thanks man. That'll probably come in handy." He turned it on and his phone instantly lit up with multiple new messages and texts. He scrolled through the menu and found his phone app, turning it on and snapping a few pictures of his son to send to his family and friends. He would take more later and hopefully get a better shot, but for now, he figured this would do.

"Oh, and I figure I should let you know that Rach took Quinn's mom back to your place to grab Quinn's bag and what not. I'm not sure what their plans are after that but Rach told me she would keep you in the loop."

"Lovely, quality Judy Fabray time." Puck said, rolling his eyes in jest. Finn chuckled, the two men sharing knowing looks before turning back to the window.

Finn watched Puck act the proud new papa, smiling as he witnessed his usually tough best friend fawn all over his new baby, making faces and waving through the glass. "So, I know you and Quinn went through this once before and I don't mean to bring up the past with Beth or anything, but what's it like? You know…the whole having a baby and becoming a father thing?"

"Well, Quinn did all of the hard work both times, so you'll have to ask her about the having a baby part," Puck chuckled, "But the whole becoming a dad part… definitely a trip, not gonna lie."

He paused and looked back over at Finn, "You know, you never feel totally ready or anything and it all feels really surreal." He looked back over at his son through the window, sighing lightly before continuing, "And I'm going to sound like I'm going completely soft, but when you first see your kid, it's a really crazy feeling because in that moment, you simply love them. It's like some instant connection. I mean, I never thought it was possible to love somebody so much that you just met."

Finn smiled and clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Nah man, you're not going soft. It's your kid, your family. I'm thrilled for you both," he paused , looking back at the little blue bundle in the window, "well, all three of you."

Puck smiled wider, glancing briefly at the floor and crinkling his nose a bit at the compliment before looking back up through the window, "Thanks." He paused and took a deep breath, "That's why it was so tough to give Beth up, you know? It was hard to cope and it is still tough to deal with when we see her and then have to leave without her, and while I and Quinn both know we will never be able to replace her, nor are we trying to, we are both pretty excited to get to know our little man. I'm pretty pumped to teach him everything he needs know about being a total badass, just like his old man." He grinned, watching Finn chuckle a bit, the men standing there for a while longer.

After a few minutes, Finn noticed a slight motion out of the corner of his eye. He turned and smiled at the new arrival, Puck turning just in time to watch the all too familiar strut of one Santana Lopez stride up to their side.

"Boys," the Latina stated in greeting.

"Satan," Puck joked. "Santana," Finn greeted, "how was the trip?"

She smirked, sidling up next to Puck, "Uneventful but quick. I don't much fancy some of the speed limits through New York and its surrounding states but as long as I'm ticket free, this girl is happy." The guys chuckled lightly, Santana leaning over to look at Finn, "Oh, and btw, Britt was wiped so I dropped her off at your place before heading over here to see how everyone was holding up," she smirked again, glaring slyly at Puck, "and to make sure y'all weren't popping out a lizard baby or something."

"You better hope Quinn doesn't hear you say that. She'd go ballistic. You should have seen the horns that came out of that woman during labor. Eesh." Puck joked, adding in a shiver for effect before nudging Santana with his elbow.

Finn took that as his turn to leave, telling them both he would see them later before excusing himself to head home.

Santana simply stood there, side-by-side with Puck looking through the window at the newborn in front of them.

Puck quietly cleared his throat, "Hey um, thanks for coming and all. It means a lot."

She gave him a genuine soft smile and nudged him with her shoulder, "You both are two of my best friends. I wouldn't miss it." She paused for a moment, leaning closer to the glass, "He is pretty damn cute. Quinn did well for herself."

"Thanks. He's got good genes. On _both _sides, turd."

"Maybe. I'll admit that at least one side got it right," she smirked before chuckling a bit, "Besides, I had to come just in case I needed to fight the munchkin for the godmother title. UFC style if needs be and I will win the belt. I've got a nasty left hook and I've been working on my pile-driver."

Puck laughed, "Nah, you know you're practically family. He'll probably end up knowing you as Auntie Tanna or something equally disturbing."

They both laugh, refocusing their gaze at the baby in front of them. They stood there in a comfortable silence for a few moments, Santana reading the little card with the boy's name before repeating it out loud, "Jameson Gabriel Puckerman, eh?"

"Yep," Puck replied, popping the 'p' at the end.

"Jameson doesn't really strike me as a Jewish name."

"Yeah, I guess it's Gaelic or something, whatever that means. At least that's what Quinn found out. It was really the only name we both agreed on. Gabriel is Hebrew though. Means 'warrior of God.' And he was a pretty badass Archangel you know."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm Catholic. I know who Gabriel is."

When she continued to stay silent, Puck thought back to a comment she had made a while ago and chuckled, "Well, that and Santana just didn't work for a boy…sorry to burst your bubble."

That earned him a genuine laugh, "Yeah, well I call dibs on names if you have another little girl."

Puck looked back at her and smiled before returning his focus to his son.

After a few moments, Santana spoke up again, "So, does Quinn know you named your kid after a brand of Irish Whiskey?"

She glanced over at him and smirked, waiting for the answer.

Puck kept his gaze trained forward, his lips forming a tight line before replying, "Nope."

"That at least sounds classier than Jack Daniels. You planning on telling her?"

"Nope, I never will and neither will you," he looked over at her and gave her a warning glare.

"Oh, believe me, I won't. But I would pay good money to watch her attack when she does find out. Quinn's gonna fucking kill you, man."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I'm terrified for when that day finally comes."

"You're an idiot."

"And you're a bitch"

"You know I hate you right?"

"Yep, love you too San."

She smiled and put her arm around his shoulders, Puck pulling her in for a rare hug before she tells him she's gonna head out and get some rest after the long drive they had. They say their goodbyes and he walked her to the hospital exit, Puck making sure she gets to her car safely before turning around and walking back to the nursery.

He returned to his spot in front of the nursery window, continuing to keep watch over his son until he felt a tap on the shoulder. He looked over to find the friendly pediatric nurse that had been tending the nursery for the past several hours.

The older woman smiled softly, "You look tired, soldier. You should get some rest. The couch in your wife's room will pull out into a sleeper and if you would like, we could take your son's bassinet into your room, seeing as how it doesn't look like you will be leaving his side any time soon."

Puck looked at her for a few moments, the fatigue really starting to set in as his weary brain attempted to process what she just said, "Oh, we can keep him in the room with us tonight?" When she nodded, he smiled in return, "Yeah, I think we would like that, thank you."

He made his way back to Quinn's room, knocking softly as he entered, the blonde stirring a bit at the sound. He walked in and placed a gentle kiss on his sleeping wife's forehead, Quinn smiling as her eyelids fluttered open.

"Hi," she murmured in her sleepy state.

"Hiya back," he whispered, leaning in to capture her lips with his. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's ok. I feel like I've been out for a while. I missed you," she replied, giving him a slight pout.

"You need your rest. It's not like we'll be getting much from here on out for a while," he joked lightly, "and I missed you too, sweetheart." He heard a knock on the door and looked over his shoulder briefly before turning back and smiling down at Quinn, "And I know somebody else who missed his mama too."

He stepped to the side to reveal the nurse walking in and wheeling the bassinet with her, pulling up to the side of Quinn's bed and smiling before telling the two parents that they should feel free to buzz the nurses' station if either they or the baby needed anything. They thanked her and she exited, leaving the new family alone for the night.

Quinn reached out and grasped Puck's hand, interlacing their fingers together as she scooted over to one side of the bed, tugging on his arm in the process, "Come here, there's plenty of room."

He looked down at the small bed and quirked an eyebrow at her. She simply stared back up at him, capturing her lower lip in between her teeth before smiling, "Please?"

His gaze softened and he climbed up onto the bed, taking his place behind her and spooning up against her, pretty much his only choice given the tight quarters of the hospital bed. He wrapped his arms around her, careful to avoid putting too much pressure on her stomach as he cradled her close and kissed the top of her head.

Quinn sighed and leaned into his body, relishing the warmth and comfort her husband provided. She turned her attention to the infant next to the bed, the two parents watching the steady rise and fall of his little chest as he slumbered peacefully.

Despite the fact that her eyelids felt like lead and her body ached all over, she couldn't break her gaze away from the little life they created together, her eyes pricking with impending tears. "He's so perfect. Just like his sister."

She felt Puck nod against her hair and sigh, "He is. They both are."

"How did we get so lucky?"

"Good genes?" he suggested, earning a light chuckle from his wife.

"We did good, hun."

"Yes we did, Q. Yes we did."

* * *

><p><em>TBC…<em>

_Thanks again, and please don't be shy in letting me know what you think! I hope you all are still enjoying the story!_


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N:**_ _Sorry it's taken a while to update. These next few chapters have been a bit tough to write but I hope it'll all be worth it in the end. There is a bit of a time jump so hopefully it makes sense. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25<strong>

_**Three years later…**_

Puck found himself standing in front of his locker in the team ready room, staring at the pictures hanging on the metal door. He had to admit that if you'd asked him back in high school if he could have seen himself married to Quinn for the past five years with a three year old son and a solid, respectable job as a soldier in one of the most elite units in the United States Military, he would have laughed in your face. There was a point in time where he didn't think he would ever make it out of Lima, let alone do something with his life.

Now, he could honestly say he was proud of what he did. He was proud to serve and defend his country. He was proud to have a job that he found meaningful and fulfilling. But most important of all, he was proud of the family he and Quinn had created. The beautiful son the two of them had been blessed with and the daughter they got to see quite often, thanks to Shelby's generosity and desire to visit Rachel in NYC whenever she could.

If he were 18 again, he would probably call himself a pussy or a sucker for being such a sap, but now he preferred to think of himself as a family man. One who happened to get his shit figured out quicker than most other guys his age. Thanks to his job, he was able to realize what the important things in life truly were and he learned to appreciate every little moment, because in his line of work you never knew when it could be your last.

He glanced over the photos and mementos he had lining his locker, taking in the frayed edges of letters Quinn had written him while he was overseas, small drawings Jameson and Beth had colored for their daddy, and the photos of his friends and family from over the years. He smiled when he saw the picture of Jameson's third birthday, the cake Quinn had slaved over for hours making sure it was just right smeared all over his face as he and Quinn simply smiled in the background. A photo of Beth playing in the leaves with her little brother was next to that, followed by another snap of the four of them the previous Christmas when they were able to return to Lima and spend the holiday season with their families.

He glanced down even further, grinning at a copy of a picture Rachel took at the hospital when they just had their little boy, the two parents staring at their son in awe as he slumbered peacefully in Quinn's arms.

Near that one was a picture of all of the men on his team in their dress uniforms, their girlfriends and spouses on their arms as they celebrated at Capt. Parker's wedding. He remembered it being quite the bash. Having graduated from the Air Force Academy, Parker's wife chose to have the ceremony out in the famous chapel in Colorado, giving the team the opportunity to participate in the full military wedding, Army sabers and all. He and Quinn had been able to sneak away and stay at one of the nicer resorts in a nearby mountain town for a few extra days as well, Judy graciously taking care of J-Boogie while they were gone.

Next to that was probably one of his favorite photos. It was a picture of the weekend right after they were able to bring their son home from the hospital and all of his teammates and good friends had been so kind, helpful and gracious toward him and Quinn so they decided to have a little bar-be-cue to show their appreciation. Quinn had brought her camera out and proceeded to snap pictures of everything, telling all six of the commandos to stand up and pretend to like one another so she could get a shot. They all had their arms draped over each other's shoulders, their cigars hanging out of their mouths as they smiled and posed for the picture. He grinned as he started to reminisce, remembering it as though it was only yesterday…

_-** Flashback - **_

They had such a wonderful outpouring of love and support from their friends and family after the birth of their son that they weren't sure it would ever be possible to repay the favor. Finn and Rachel had opened up their home to let Santana and Britt stay while they visited, Kurt and Mercedes joining the crew shortly thereafter to help the couple celebrate their new arrival. While it was a cramped situation, Finn and Rachel took it all in stride, understanding how much it meant to Quinn and Puck that all of their friends would be there.

Judy Fabray and the Puckerman women, on the other hand, had invaded Puck and Quinn's home. Quinn was still exhausted and recovering from her labor and while Puck tried to be supportive and help out as best as he could, he found himself more stressed out that he seemed to be entertaining their family members as well as tending to his little family. He felt like he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, tending to his mother and mother in law and doing all of the cooking and cleaning while he and Quinn split the duties with the baby.

While Puck's family could only stay for a few days, his mom needing to get back for work, Judy offered to stay longer. She could tell the two of them were exhausted and stressed out. They were only 22 and each had a job, the both of them trying to keep afloat and work to provide for their family. So Judy offered to stick around and move into their spare bedroom to help out when Puck finally went back to training with his unit full time.

She told them she wouldn't be an imposition and Puck wanted to refuse, telling Quinn they would no longer have any privacy to be a family and to spend time with one another. However, they realized they could use the help for a bit and free daycare was hard to come across, so Quinn went ahead told her mom they would really appreciate the help for the first month or so, at least until the baby got into a more regular routine.

After she was discharged from the hospital and Judy had gotten settled into the guest room, Puck and Quinn had talked a bit about what they could do for everyone who had come up to visit. The other men from his unit had been coming over and helping out, painting and doing some handiwork when they first moved in and helped him set up the nursery as well so he knew he owed them big time. He also wanted to say thank you to Santana, Britt and the rest of their crew that came up to see the couple and Jameson, so he invited them all over a few days later for a BBQ.

Puck and Finn grilled while Judy puttered around making side dishes, letting Rachel and the girls make the deserts. Mercedes, Kurt and Judy all joked around at how much food Puck and Finn had actually bought, but as soon as the other four men from their unit arrived, accompanied by Lt. Parker's fiancée, it was no longer a laughing matter. The three of them stood and watched in slight horror as the men seemed to inhale their food at inhuman rates. Sure, they were all big guys and they had plenty of experience eating as much as they could in what little time they were given during training or on deployment but it was still amazing to watch.

It was a lovely spring weekend and gang all sat outside on Puck & Quinn's back patio, the women (and Kurt) fussing over the little boy and volunteering to hold him as he slept while Lt. Parker gifted Puck and the rest of the guys with celebratory cigars, on the opposite side of the patio of course. They sat around and chatted for a bit, enjoying the company when Santana pulled out a little blue bag from behind her back.

Quinn looked at her skeptically, always nervous when it came to gifts from Santana seeing as how the last gift she gave Quinn contained handcuffs. Santana rolled her eyes at Quinn's expression, informing Quinn that one of the gifts was from her and Britt while the other one was from Taylor. Britt couldn't sit still as Quinn sifted through the tissue paper and pulled out the first item in the bag.

She 'awwed' as she saw the crimson and white baby beanie and matching onesie, holding it up for everyone to see. She looked it over before smiling, seeing the Ohio State Buckeyes logo on the front of the beanie before looking back up at Santana and Britt, "Taylor?"

"Oh yeah," Santana laughed, "You should have seen him trying to pick out the perfect onesie. Hilarious."

"He almost bought the whole damn store!" Britney exclaimed, "He probably will be able to as soon as he gets that fat check all of those NFL agents have been promising when he signs with a team during the draft!"

Quinn checked out the onesie that matched the little hat, smiling wide as she turned it around to show Puck, "I May Be Little, but I'm a Big Buckeye Fan! Puck, how perfect is that?"

"That's awesome, babe! We'll have to dress him in his new gear and send a few pics to Taylor."

"He also said he would hook you guys up with some sweet swag from whatever team picks him up, if he is picked up after all," Britt explained.

"Oh, he'll get drafted," Finn stated confidently, "He's got the stats, the arm and several BCS bowl appearances. They would be stupid not to draft him first round."

"Amen to that," Puck said, raising his beer.

"Here, dig a little further down. You still haven't seen what San and I got you!" Brit said, bouncing excitedly.

Quinn dug a little further down, pulling out the other onesie at the bottom before holding it up. She read it to herself first, rolling her eyes before looking over at Santana.

The Latina grinned, "I figured Puck would find that more amusing."

"What would I find amusing?" Puck asked, looking over at his wife.

Quinn quirked her eyebrow before turning the onesie around, Tex laughing before reading it out loud to the group, "Party At My Crib… Bring Your Own Bottle! That's fucking amazing!"

"I know," Santana smiled smugly, offering a small shrug, "I'm awesome."

The girls continued to joke around, playing with the baby and ogling Parker's fiancée Kate's ring while the guys continued to smoke their cigars and drink their beer as they watched the women fawn all over each other. Puck secretly wanted to go rescue his son from the major overdose of estrogen, feeling like he should initiate him into the boys club sooner rather than later but knowing that wasn't going to happen while they were still smoking.

Tex cleared his throat loudly, causing Puck and the rest of the guys to glance his way. He nodded his head toward where the women sat before looking at Puck, "So what's it like?"

"What do you mean?" Puck asked, confused.

"Dude, you're the youngest guy on the team, yet you're married and have a kid. You're only twenty-two. Shouldn't you be out like, partying and living it up?"

Finn snorted and Puck glared at him, the taller man averting his gaze as he chuckled a bit. Puck rolled his eyes, "Nah man, I spent most of high school doing that. I needed to pull my shit together and Quinn definitely helped with that."

"I mean don't get me wrong or anything, Quinn's a MILF and she's pretty fucking awesome. But at the same time, why'd you take the plunge so young? You had your whole life ahead of you."

Puck didn't know whether to take that as a slap in the face or just Tex's way of trying to get his point across. He decided it was probably the latter, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "First of all, never refer to my wife as a MILF ever again. I won't hesitate to introduce my fist to your face, got it? You wouldn't want me to mess up that pretty little mug of yours, would you?"

Tex's face dropped and the other guys laughed, Puck taking another pull of his cigar before continuing, "And second, you make it sound like my life is over. Like marrying Quinn and having a family is a burden or something. It's not. You're right, Q is fucking awesome. That's why I married her."

"That's the only reason?"

"Nah, I've loved her my whole life, no joke. You all know about Beth and the disaster that was the aftermath in high school, but as soon as I got another chance with her I took it, no offense Hudson."

"None taken," Finn said, the group chuckling slightly at the dig. They had aired out all of Puck and Finn's history together one night a few months ago over drinks and the rest of guys thought it was pretty comical how fucked up they used to be back in high school.

Puck quirked his upper lip in a cockeyed-grin before waggling his eyebrows, "Plus there are definite perks to being married."

Finn just chuckled and shared a knowing look with Parker. "Oh, definite perks to being in a relationship. Trust us, kid," Parker chided.

Tex just scratched his head and looked over at Vargas and Hunt, the two 'life-long bachelors' looking skeptical at the statement before Tex continued, "I guess I just don't understand why you didn't decide to wait for a few years or something. Twenty just sounds really young to get married let alone having a kid by twenty-two."

Puck simply smiled and sat back in his chair, glancing over at Finn who smiled back, nodding and letting Puck proceed, "Yeah, we were young. So what? Sometimes you just know. I knew what I wanted and I wanted Quinn. Forever, for however long she's take me, whatever. I just wanted her."

Puck paused, his face tightening a bit as he chewed on his thumbnail before he continued, "And honestly dude, just take a look at our job, our careers. Look back at our last deployment. Time is precious, man. Anything can happen and in a split second, your whole life could change."

He paused for a moment, letting that all sink in, "I simply realized that I didn't want to waste any more time just being her boyfriend. I love her and she's the strongest chick I know…well, maybe after Santana, but still. I like the man I am when I'm with her and now that I have a family, I can honestly say I'm the happiest I've ever been and I have no regrets. I live life to the fullest and I was fortunate enough to find someone to share it with. If I were to go down in battle tomorrow, I'd go out knowing that my life was complete and I was doing what I was proud to do. The world is all sorts of fucked up out there, but here, I'm home. With her and my little man, Mini Me, and Beth when she's here, I'm home. I don't need anything else. I'm at peace and everything is alright in the world for me."

Tex nodded, glancing down at his shoes for a bit before sighing, "I guess I see your point." He hesitated a moment, glancing back up at Puck, "But if something did happen over there, what would happen to them?" he asked, motioning his thumb behind him before stubbing out his cigar.

The whole group went silent as Puck chewed on the inside of his cheek. Tex may be an asshole at times but the more he thought about it, he figured the man had a point, "That would be hard. Quinn knew what she got into when she married me but I honestly never thought of it that way. It's a tough gig and she's always supported me in everything, but… just the thought of leaving her like that sucks." He looked around at his friends before forcing a grin and raising his beer, "So here's to my new plan: Don't die…Win the battle every time and don't even let them have a shot at taking you down."

Hunt smiled and raised his beer too, the other men clinking the bottlenecks as they toasted to their new motto, Hunt's brow perking up before he stood quickly and set his beer on the arm of his chair, "Speaking of toasts, I've got something for you too Puckerman. I left it in the car though, hang on a sec."

Hunt started jogging around the side of Puck's house, the men giving him a sidelong glance as he ran. A few minutes later he reemerged from inside the house, carrying a tall silver bag and a stack of 6 small tumblers.

Puck looked at the bag and smiled, "Do I really need to guess what this may be?"

The rest of the men started laughing, Vargas passing out each of the tumblers before asking, "I'm guessing we're taking shots?"

"Oh no my friend," Hunt replied, handing Puck the bag, "This shit is too good to shoot. This is the kind you sip."

He earned a few noises of approval before hearing Quinn speak up, "Are you boys behaving over there?"

"Yes ma'am," Vargas replied, "We always do."

They heard Quinn mumble something along the lines of "yeah right" under her breath before Puck pulled the cylindrical alcohol container out of the bag, admiring the front, "Wow, fancy. Twelve years aged. I dig it, thanks man!"

Puck pulled the bottle out of the cylinder and passed the it around, filling each of the men's glasses. He set the bag down and took a sip, thanking Hunt again for the thought.

Hunt laughed, "S' no problem. And I figured it was rather appropriate given your son's name," he joked.

Quinn's ears perked up at that, the blonde leaning over to leer at Puck, wanting to know what they were talking about. Puck was mid-sip when he saw his wife's glare, deciding to take a strong pull before he got his ass ripped.

Quinn handed her son over to her mom, standing and making her way over toward where the boys were. Santana and Britt snickered behind them, letting Rachel in on the shit show that was about to go down. San leaned over toward Rachel, "$50 says she kicks him."

Rachel chuckled, "Nah, I'm thinking she'll hit him in the face."

Britt just smiled, "I think she'll say it was a good idea. It is a nice name after all." She looked around to see Santana and Rachel staring at her amused before Mercedes joined the discussion.

"Nah, you're all wrong. She's going to start slapping the shit out of him. Everywhere. That poor boy will be all sorts of bruised when she gets done with him."

Quinn continued to bear down on the men, quirking her head to the side before glancing around the circle at all of them. "So, what were you gentlemen talking about just now?"

Hunt glanced away and Finn tried to look anywhere else but her steely green eyes. Puck looked around at the rest of his guys, sheepishly backing away from where Quinn stood, "Nothing hun, just guy talk. I love you."

She kept her fake smile plastered on as she glared at Puck, turning slightly toward Hunt before addressing him with that sickly sweet voice, "Hunt, what did you say about our son's name? Just curious?"

She saw them open a bottle of something earlier and at the mention of her little boy, she was not liking where this was heading.

Hunt blew out a deep breath before responding, keeping his eyes trained at the ground, "I said that the gift was appropriate given your son's name, ma'am."

The fake smile was beginning to falter, Quinn feeling the flush of heat rising in her cheeks, "And why is that? What gift would that be?"

Puck flinched and crossed his legs, trying to cover the man-bits Quinn would most certainly chop off if she found out where he came up with the name. Hunt glanced at Puck, offering him a sympathetic look before picking up the bottle and handing it to her, "Jameson Irish Whiskey, twelve year reserve, ma'am. It's one of the best whiskeys on the market. They sure know how to do it right over there in Ireland."

Quinn glanced at the bottle in horror, taking in the label as she clearly read their son's name etched across in gold lettering. Her eyes widened and her tongue snaked out just enough to run over her front teeth, the woman practically snarling as she handed the bottle back to Hunt, "If you gentlemen would excuse Noah for a moment," she asked, grabbing his arm and practically dragging him into the house.

Everyone on the patio was silent, staring at the glass screen door while Quinn unleashed hell. They all felt like they shouldn't be watching the squabble but it was like a train wreck, they couldn't look away. Despite the door being double-paned glass, they still were able to pick up almost every word, the group almost busting out laughing when Quinn screamed, "I TOLD YOU NO ALCOHOL NAMES! I DON'T GIVE A SHIT IF IT'S NOT JACK DANIELS! YOU STILL PICKED THE NAME OF A BOOZE COMPANY TO NAME OUR SON! HOW COULD YOU BE SO FRICKIN' STUPID?"

Finn chuckled lightly, glancing over at Tex who was biting his knuckles trying not to laugh. The other men were doing much the same, knowing that "scary Quinn" was absolutely terrifying when she unleashed the beast but all completely amused at how big of a deal she was making this. They heard Puck trying to reason with her, telling her that Jameson was a good name and it fit their son. It was not as cliché as Jack Daniels and what not, and he knew it had already grown on Quinn.

As Quinn continued to fume, Santana just smirked, loving the fact that she actually did get to see this fight go down, "Awesome. Front row tickets to the Fabray v. Puckerman smack-down. Ding, Ding, Ding."

**_- End Flashback -_**

Puck stood there staring into his locker at the pictures. He was broken out of his reverie when he heard someone behind him clear his throat, "You ready to go, champ?" Vargas asked.

"Yeah, I'm right behind ya," Puck replied, grabbing a stick of gum and a few extra pieces of gear and shoving them into his utility pockets.

He smiled again at the photo before he replaced it in his locker, making sure the tape on the back stuck securely to the door. He ran his index finger over Quinn and Jameson in another photo before taking one last look and shutting the door, jogging out of the room to catch up with Vargas.

They only had a few more weeks of training left before they re-deployed for their third time, and preparation was key, especially since they were headed back to Afghanistan. Their last deployment to Iraq was a lot less stressful than the first, but the country was also much more under control than Afghanistan was. Their last trip there was not a pleasant memory, and Puck and his team would do whatever training and take whatever precautions they deemed necessary to ensure it wouldn't turn out that way again.

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><p>After struggling to get Jameson to lay down for his nap for the past hour, Quinn was relieved to finally get some time to herself. She plopped down and opened up her lap top, intending to work on some homework for one of her first year law school classes. Instead, she found herself trolling through her emails and Facebook for a bit before deciding to click on the pictures folder she hadn't visited for a while now.<p>

As soon as the photos started scrolling through the screen, a flood of memories from the past few years washed over her. She smiled when she a few pictures from the day their son was born flicker across the screen, followed closely behind by a multitude of shots from his first year of life.

Quinn sighed and sat back on the couch, content with watching the slideshow while she thought back on blur of events from the last couple of years.

Their little guy had turned three earlier that year and it seemed like the past few years had flown by in the blink of an eye. He was walking on his own now and was an incredibly independent kiddo, always wanting to do things for himself. It made Quinn sad that he may get to that point someday where he wouldn't need his mommy any more but she loving watching every moment of his growth and development. He was also quite the chatter-box, the kid having conversations with himself and every other inanimate object around the house. And he always had something to say to his mom and dad, Jameson preferring to tell Puck off every once in a while by stomping his feet and putting his hands on his hips, a move Puck blamed Quinn for.

She also had to thank Mrs. Puckerman for the small handheld video camera that Quinn used quite a bit to document a lot of Jameson's life up until that point. When Puck found out he was slated to deploy to Iraq for 10 months a few years ago, he was devastated that he would miss Jameson's first birthday and all of the other progress babies make within their first year of life. He was incredibly thankful that he was able to spend their first Christmas season with their son as a family, but he deployed shortly thereafter and he knew he would miss a lot.

So, as a Hanukkah present, Mrs. Puckerman gifted them with one of those handy cams you can plug into the USB port on the computer, allowing Quinn to send videos to Puck while he was overseas. She knew he loved getting the new pictures and seeing the video of his son's first steps and other momentous occasions and while he tried to assure her that everything was fine, she knew he was still upset that Jameson had started babbling and had been able to say "Mama" and "Nana" but hadn't said "Dada" yet.

Quinn worked with Jameson daily, showing him pictures and trying to get him to say the words, but nothing seemed to work… until randomly one night when they were Skyping with Puck. Quinn had him on her lap while she conversed with Puck when Jameson suddenly stood up, reaching out for the computer screen and babbling "Da da da" over and over again. To make it even better, he started crying when Quinn tried to pull him back from grabbing the screen, the little boy continuing to call for his dad and reach out toward the image.

As soon as she got him calmed down a bit, she looked back up to see Puck rigidly still, a small smile tugging at his lips as he tried to blink away the moisture forming in his eyes. She remembered being so touched by his reaction at hearing his son call him Dad for the first time that she broke out into tears too. Quinn later found out that Finn, Vargas and Tex had all been sitting at a table behind Puck and heard the whole exchange, Puck trying to be tough and blame sand for getting in his eye and causing him to tear up, but they all knew how much it meant to him so they didn't tease him for crying like a girl.

Overall, it was so fun watching Jameson grow and learn new things every day and Quinn tried her best to chronicle all of that in pictures and video, but it was like he was shooting up faster than she could keep up with him. She had always felt a bit of a loss when it came to Beth, Quinn feeling like she had missed out on getting to watch her grow up but considering the fact that Shelby kept them updated on a regular basis, she felt incredibly fortunate to be able to watch her grow from afar.

What was even harder to swallow was that Beth would be turning eight later that year, a thought that made her stomach twist at the realization that her baby was getting to be that old and caused her double check that she didn't have any gray hairs just yet.

Rachel had accepted a decent role in the Broadway musical _Chicago_ and Quinn was thrilled her friend had finally reached her goal and made it to the Broadway stage. In fact, Quinn found it rather funny that she and Rachel had once seen this play from the stands, Rachel commenting all the way through on how she could do so much better than most of the actresses on that stage, and now her friend was _that_ actress.

Rachel and Shelby had reconciled several years back and Shelby couldn't be more proud of her first-born, bringing Beth up to NYC as often as they could to see Rachel, and in turn allowing Puck and Quinn to spend time with Beth. Quinn and Puck still had a picture framed on their wall from her first visit up to see their new house, the family all seated together on the couch with Beth in the middle, holding her baby brother while smiling up at the camera. They had several other pictures around the house of Beth and Jameson together, the two of them playing in the yard or opening presents together on holidays. Beth had always been so good and helpful with Jameson and had always loved to play with him when she came to visit. She still didn't know that he was her little brother, but she knew he was someone special so she treated him that way, the two of them absolutely adorable together yet complete troublemakers if you left them alone for too long.

Santana and Brittney had also made the move up to New York City a couple of years ago as well. Quinn was thrilled that her friends still lived relatively close by, only separated by about two hours or less (especially if Santana drove). They both wanted to get out of Ohio for a while and experience something different, even if only just for a bit, so they made good on their word to move to New York, the two girls settling into a renovated loft in Brooklyn.

Brittney split her time teaching dance at a local studio and working at a day care, the small children loving her youthful energy and exuberance. Santana, on the other hand, found work as a bartender at a pretty swanky lounge in Manhattan, the job worth the commute as she managed to pull in enough tips to cover the monthly rent in about three nights. She had been planning on taking the LSAT to try for law school as well, but decided to put that on hold to give herself a break from academics for a while. The two girls came up and visited Quinn and Puck whenever they could sneak away for a day or two, sometimes even in the middle of the week due to Santana's schedule.

It was so nice for Quinn to have several of her friends somewhat close by. She had made friends with other soldier's wives, but it just wasn't the same. They were almost…too nice for her, compared to her relationship with Santana. Sometimes, she just needed that extra dose of snark in her life to cheer her up or help her get through the day. It was hard to explain, but it worked for her so she didn't question it.

A few more pictures flittered across the screen, highlighting more memorable moments throughout the years. Their past family holidays, Christmases where Puck spent hours trying to assemble something cool only for Jameson to be more interested in the box and wrapping paper than his toys. Family vacations whenever they could afford to take them, usually thanks to Judy. Puck and Finn's promotions to Staff Sergeant and the sword fight the two man-children decided to have in the backyard after Captain Parker bestowed his newly minted NCO's (non-commissioned officers) with their official Army sabers, the accessory an additional honor and bonus to wear with their dress uniforms.

Quinn was so proud of Puck and his accomplishments. Sure he still acted like a child sometimes, but all things considered, he was incredibly mature and grown up for only being twenty-five. He never thought he had much of a future back in high school, but he decided to do something about it, choosing to join the military and make a name for himself instead of whine about his lack of prospects and settle for a life he didn't want in Lima.

She always had a soft spot for Puck ever since their sophomore year when she was pregnant with Beth, but despite all of the crap they went through those last few years before graduation, he never gave up and always managed to find a way to persevere through the rough times. It was his passion, dedication and determination that brought Quinn back after all of the fighting and resent the two of them harbored for so long, and she knew that once he put his mind to something, he could achieve anything.

He had even decided to go back to school, taking college courses online for the past few years courtesy of the Army. He was studying business and construction management, something he figured would come in handy if or when he decided to go into the reserves or get out completely.

Quinn and Puck had talked quite a bit about his future after the Army, and while Puck loved what he did, he knew it was incredibly stressful on Quinn. Especially during the deployments. He had already served overseas on two previous occasions, not including a few one or two month missions to places like the Horn of Africa or the Caucasus Mountains in Russia for reconnaissance purposes, and he was a few weeks away from embarking on his third long term tour of duty, this time heading back into the dreaded northeast regions of Afghanistan.

She loved Puck with all of her heart and had assured him on multiple occasions that she would support him in whatever he did, but his job was really taking a toll on her. She knew it was totally possible for someone to serve on active duty their whole life and still have a family. Of course everyone has to make sacrifices and there are no guarantees in war, but Quinn always thought the odds were a bit more in the favor of those who had other occupations besides Special Forces.

People always joked that Special Forces troops were a special kind of crazy and made comments that there was no way those guys could have a normal life when they did what they did, having to leave at all hours of the night and getting called out in some of the harrier situations during war. However, Quinn had made it her mission these past several years to prove that wrong, trying to keep things as normal as possible whenever he was home.

Whenever he was home, was the key phrase. They had only been married for five years and their son was three and a half, and yet Puck had been deployed for over two of those years. He was missing out on a lot, and he was about to miss out on more, his team preparing to leave for another 9 month deployment in a few short weeks.

However, besides the fact that he was gone far too often for her liking, Quinn wasn't sure how much more of the stress and sheer fear she felt every single day while he was gone. She knew that they were very well trained and could handle almost everything, but there were times when she went days, weeks even, without hearing from him and the nerves that brought was enough to drive a sane person crazy. She worried about him to no extent, and while she kept busy with her son and law school, nothing could distract her enough from thinking about all of the possibilities.

Quinn sat back against the couch cushions and took in a deep breath, slowly releasing it in a familiar rhythm that had always helped calm her nerves when she started stressing out. She loved Puck and would do anything for him, but at this point in their lives, they had other priorities to worry about, mainly their family and the little boy who adored nothing more than spending time with his daddy.

Just at the thought of their son, Quinn decided that she had made up her mind. That night after dinner, the two of them would sit down and have a conversation about his future in the military after this deployment. Puck had been fairly on board with the whole scenario when they had discussed it loosely in the past. He would have put in 8 years by the time he got back and he knew how important his family was and frankly, he had commented several times on how he didn't want to miss any more of his son's life, or any of their future children's lives for that matter. They had originally agreed that they would reassess everything when he got back, but she figured he may be up for discussing it more in depth if he knew how serious she was.

* * *

><p>The weeks counting down to Puck's departure seemed to fly by before anyone truly realized it. On the eve of his deployment, Puck and Quinn choose to spend a quiet evening at home with Jameson, Puck wanting to soak up everything about the last few hours he had at home. Quinn had gone out of her way to cook a feast of all of Puck's favorite foods knowing it would be a while before he got a good, home-cooked meal and he really appreciated the gesture.<p>

He spent the rest of the afternoon and evening playing with his little boy, running around the house with him while Quinn filmed the whole interaction. Puck wanted to spend as much time as possible with Jameson, realizing that he would probably miss him growing up even more while he was gone. He was also adamant about putting Jameson to bed that night, spending extra time to read him several stories and snuggling with his son before the little man dozed off to sleep. Puck kissed his little forehead before saying good night and following Quinn out of his room.

Quinn took Puck's hand and led him back to their bedroom, the couple slowly ridding each other of their clothes and proceeding to take their time making love to one another.

Afterwards, Puck held Quinn close, their legs intertwined as Quinn snuggled into his side and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his chest and listened to his heartbeat slow, Puck stroking her hair and kissing her forehead, simply content enjoying his wife's company one last time before having to go without for a while.

The next morning was a somber occasion. Puck joined Quinn in the shower, the two spending quality time touching and caressing, memorizing the feel of each others' bodies and all of the strokes that made the other moan.

Once they were done, Puck roused his son, helping him dress and get ready for the day. When everyone was ready to go, Puck did a quick double check of the whole house, making sure everything was ok and in place before insuring that Quinn had all of the possible numbers she may need to get a hold of him.

They met up with the Hudsons as soon as they made it on base, the men spending a last few precious moments with their families before being called to fall in and prepare to head out to the transport flight.

Puck looked over at Quinn, his face contorting in slight pain as he watched her expression fall, the tears gathering in her eyes at the impending good bye. He felt Jameson wrap his arms around his leg. He looked down and saw the little boy holding up his arm and asking to be picked up, Puck obliging as he tucked his son into a tight hug and telling him to take care of his mom, reiterating that he needed to be a good boy and that he loved him.

He looked back up at Quinn, the tears falling freely down her face, before he switched Jameson over to one of his hips and pulled his wife into his arms. He held his family close, gently lifting Quinn's chin to capture her lips with his. He tried not to close his eyes, not wanting to miss a moment but it became too hard, Puck clamping his eyes shut and fighting to keep his emotions in check as he kissed her again. He wanted to remember everything about this moment, savoring the feeling of his family wrapped up in his arms one last time before the last warning bell went off.

He kissed each of them again before handing Jameson back to Quinn, telling them both that he loved them and that he would see them soon. He picked up his bag and blew them a kiss before falling in with the rest of his unit. They were called to attention, the men snapping into perfect posture as they checked in quickly before being instructed to head out to the plane, Puck waving as he strolled out of the hangar.

Quinn got Jameson to wave and they stood there seeing him off, Quinn's eyes never leaving Puck's form until he was out of sight.

After sticking around with Rachel for a bit longer, she took Jameson back home and put him down for a nap, lying down and snuggling up next to him. She stroked his hair, watching as his beautiful chocolate brown eyes he inherited from Puck slowly started to droop closed. She watched as his chest rose and fell, his little puffs of breath tickling her cheek as he slept.

The longer she watched him, the more she realized that he slept exactly like his father. Everything about him reminded her of Puck and before she knew it, the hot, wet tears had returned.

She missed him already and it always seemed like no matter how positive she tried to be, there was always that nagging fear in the back of her mind that he may not come home. She tried to keep it all together and show a strong front for Puck, knowing she didn't need to stress him out any more than he already was, but she couldn't help but worry once he was gone.

He had come back from Afghanistan so broken the last time and she knew the experience and the aftermath had just about killed him. She could just hope and pray that nothing like that would happen again. She sent up a quiet prayer asking to keep Puck and his team safe, uttering the same comforting phrase she had every day over his last two deployments. She felt so utterly powerless but knew she needed to find some way to stay strong for the next several months.

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><p><strong>AN:** _Thanks again. This chapter, and this whole story really, is dedicated to those who selflessly serve their country and the families that sacrifice and support the brave men and women of our Armed Forces. We are Free because of the Brave. Happy Veteran's Day. _


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** _Holy Macaroni, I am so sorry it's taken forever to update! I really don't have a great excuse besides work and my family life getting a bit hectic around the holiday, but besides that, I owe my loyal readers something by now! This one is a bit shorter than the other chapters and it is a bit fluffy, but it was getting long so I split it into two separate chapters (the second will be posted soon, I promise!) Thank you to everyone who continues to follow and read this story as well as my other two stories The Private Escapades of Puck & Quinn and The Five Stages of Quinn Fabray. You're support has been overwhelming and I want to thank you for all of the notifications and reviews! They mean the world to me!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 26<strong>

The rest of February and March flew by unceremoniously in the Puckerman household. Jameson had proven to be every bit of his father's son as he had become quite the stinker and trouble-maker over the past year or so and without Puck to referee or chase him all over the place, Quinn found finishing out her first year of law school and taking care of him to be more than stressful. And worst part was, it had only been two months since Puck deployed… she was not looking forward to the next seven months until he returned home, that was for sure.

Jameson was a little turkey and had become a pro at getting into anything and everything, the little man earning the name Houdini from Rachel for his ability to simply disappear and hide as a joke (that only he found funny) whenever Rachel would watch him while Quinn was in class.

To add more fuel to the fire, Quinn could barely get a solid hour of studying in at a time, even when other people were watching him for the evening. She'll never forget the torrent of text messages Santana had sent her one night in mid-March while Quinn studied for her mid-terms exams. Basically, Jameson's terrible twos and thundering threes could be easily summed up by the new nickname Santana gave him: Dennis the Menace. After evading Santana's grasp for almost an hour, the three year old managed to overturn a coffee table, break a vase, pull down an entire rung of curtains and take out several picture frames in under 20 minutes.

Quinn simply sighed and made a mental note to make sure and get all of her friends a bottle of wine (or two…or three for Santana) as a thank you for watching her little wild man. After tucking him into bed one night, Quinn finally found time to sit down and relax a bit, wishing more and more every day that Puck would come home soon to help out a bit.

It wasn't easy and with juggling school and being a mom, she found herself stressed out and sick more often than not these days. She was constantly tired, the bags under her eyes looked more like luggage and she felt as though there was never enough time in the day to get everything done and get more than a few hours of sleep a night. She was running on empty and it had only been 2 months since Puck left. Her mom offered to move back in for a while, and while the help would be amazing, Quinn didn't want have to solely rely on her mother to watch over her son all of the time. However, as the days slowly turned into weeks, she didn't know how she was going to survive the next few months without Puck.

Quinn had known what she was getting into when she married Puck. She knew the risks of his job and the reality that he and his team would probably be called into action and could get deployed to any and all corners of the world to serve….she just never really got used to his absence. She didn't think she ever would either.

As soon as her head hit the pillow that night, she was out like a light for a few hours at least. That was until she felt a slight weight push down on Puck's side of the bed and felt a small body press up against hers. She slung her arm around her son just as she did every night when he crawled in next to her around two in the morning and snuggled him close, the warmth his little body emitted comforting her even when she was having the worst of days.

What made matters worse was that for the past couple of weeks she had found herself wide awake in the middle of the night, her body aching and stomach not agreeing with her. While snuggling with Jameson every night Puck was away was comforting, her immune system was having trouble fighting off the winter and spring sickness and viruses. She had been feeling ill a few months ago and had been on antibiotics and while her symptoms dissipated for a while, they seemed to come back full force about a month later. She was completely worn out and seeing as how it was right before final exams, this particular bug couldn't have come at a worse time.

All she could do was hope and pray that her son didn't catch whatever she had because there was nothing more miserable than having a sick child while you were sick yourself.

God, she missed Puck…

x-x-x-x-x

Despite always being busy out in what Tex dubbed "Sand Land," Puck was really starting to miss Quinn and Jameson. He talked to them whenever he could via Skype or instant messaging, but it wasn't the same as being there in person.

He felt horrible that his son didn't quite understand why "daddy was stuck in the computer" and wanted nothing more than to be at home to play with him and tuck him in at night. He wanted to wrap his arms around his wife and hold her tight and never let go. He wanted to be there for his family, simple as that. He adored his time with them and cherished every second, relishing in his son's goofy smile and loving the way his wife's body fit his perfectly when they were wrapped around each other. He hated the separation and the distance and how small and cold his rack felt every night when he went to bed.

He loved his job and was proud to serve and do whatever it took to accomplish the Army's and the rest of the Armed Forces' mission over there, but the more time that passed and the older he got (despite only being twenty six) started making him realize what he truly wanted in life. The Army had been wonderful to him. They taught him plenty of practical skills that would help him in the real world outside of the military as well as instilled deeply-rooted values such as discipline, honor, respect, pride and courage within him. But now that he was no longer the eighteen year old boy searching for danger and adventure, and was instead an adult with a family and changing priorities, he knew he needed something different.

And that is why, before he left, he and Quinn decided that this would hopefully be his last deployment with the US Army. He was getting out. Well, transferring into the reserves more likely than not, and working towards completing the college degree he started online a few years ago, but he knew he could no longer be an active duty Soldier anymore. It was getting to be too hard and stressful on Quinn and she didn't deserve that. She had been quite the trooper these past few deployments, never saying anything negative, and always supported him as best as she could, but he could tell it was wearing on her.

The past several times he Skyped with her she was moody and irritable and looked totally worn out and downtrodden. He knew school was a huge stressor on her as the first year of law school was always described as being hellacious, and while their friends helped with Jameson as much as they could, he knew it wasn't easy for her to pursue her law school dream and be a full-time mother at the same time.

He loved his wife and he knew she deserved better than this.

However, he couldn't afford to think about the future or let his guilt over leaving his wife and son again get to him or distract him. The missions they had been carrying out for the past few months were just as hairy and dangerous as the last time they had been in Afghanistan and he really did not want a repeat of that experience this time.

They were one of the best Special Forces units in the Army and had become well known for being able to execute missions flawlessly but even the knowledge that they were highly trained and highly capable of suppressing any threat against them, the men on his team remained hyper vigilant at all times because they knew better than anyone that anything could happen at any time.

While they had managed to avoid car bombs and IEDs for the most part so far, they had seen their fair share of enemy fire already and with the exception of a stray round hitting Vargas in the rear-end (which quickly made him the "butt" of every joke around camp now that he had been shot in the ass) they all managed to come out unscathed each time.

The insurgents, however, were not as lucky in most situations. Puck knew that he was doing his job and only fired back when fired upon, but he couldn't help the sinking feeling of guilt in his stomach knowing that he shot someone. That he had killed another living human being. Their rules of engagement were simple and clearly defined: they were only to return fire when fired upon first in order to defend themselves and the other members of their unit.

But it never got any easier to swallow.

Despite the fact that these individuals had tried to kill Puck or his friends first and he was well within the laws of war and the rules of engagement to fire back, he still had trouble getting around the fact that these people, albeit international terrorists, probably had families of their own and because of his round fired from his gun, they wouldn't be seeing their families again. He knew he would do anything to protect his family and would rather die before he let anyone hurt them, but he still felt terrible.

He struggled with it for a while, asking Hunt how he dealt with it, how he dealt with being the sniper charged with shooting people from afar, but all he could offer was a sad shrug and "you never really get over it" before trying to rationalize his duty and the violence by saying that it was his job to protect his friends.

There had been several times in the past where Puck and the other members of his team would have been dead had it not been for Hunt watching out for them and taking out potential threats, and for that he was thankful. Parker and Tex basically reiterated the same thing Hunt said too, telling Puck they chose to focus on the fact that they needed to defend themselves and protect their fellow soldiers, but it never really got any easier to come to terms with.

So he did what he was told and did his job, the men throwing themselves into the planning and execution of every set mission, scrutinizing each individual detail until they were satisfied that they would be able to handle anything that may come up while out in the field.

However, whenever they weren't out running around the mountains of Afghanistan on missions or fulfilling their base guard duties everyone was assigned to do at some point, they enjoyed their time off. They played cards or videogames if they were available and sometimes got the chance to watch movies or television shows on their computers if they were able to get internet service. Their unit was stationed at a smaller forward operating area in Afghanistan so they were unable to enjoy some of the other luxuries some of the other larger bases had, such as basketball courts, recreation rooms, full sized gyms and "movie theaters."

Instead, most of the time they occupied themselves with whatever they could find given what little free time they had, usually settling for enjoying their down time and taking naps whenever they could squeeze them in. All in all, it was super-stressful about 85% of the time and boring the other 15%.

It was nerve-wracking and taxing while monotonous at the same time and it was really getting old at this point. What Puck wouldn't give to be at home and relax with a beer in hand while he and his family curled up together and watch a movie…

x-x-x-x-x

After one particularly stressful yet successful mission, his team returned to their unit ready room for some much needed and much deserved downtime. They weren't slated for another operation or base guard duty for a while so the men took the opportunity to simply relax and kick back, hoping to catch an early season baseball game via satellite TV.

While Tex, Hunt and Vargas all argued over which game to watch and Finn challenged Parker in a rematch of a game of darts, Puck took the opportunity to check his email to see what he had missed over the past few days they had been out in the field.

He sifted through the junk mail and typed out a quick message to his mom and sister before continuing down the list of emails. He noticed he had a new message from Quinn from the day prior and smiled, feeling instantly comforted at the sight of her email address.

However, that joy was short lived as his blood turned ice cold and his stomach flipped, thinking he was going to be sick as soon as he read the subject line. He opened it only to find the eerie message: _Puck, __Please __email/Skype __ASAP! __It__'__s __urgent! __Love, __Quinn._

At least she typed "Love, Quinn" he thought as he quickly responded to her message and tried to get a hold of her on Skype, the words "It's urgent" sending chills down his spine at the thought. He tried hard not to concentrate on the fear and nerves eating away at him and all of the possibilities as to what that could possibly mean, but it was hard not to. He tried over and over again to get a hold of her, finally sending a message to the email account synced to her cell phone trying to reach her, praying that nothing too serious had happened to her or their son or Beth.

He checked the time and subtracted the ten hour time difference, realizing that it would be around ten in the morning back in New York. It was a Saturday and he knew Quinn didn't have class, but what he couldn't understand is why she hadn't responded yet.

He was on the verge of freaking out and trying to locate the nearest satellite phone when he saw the notification that Quinn had signed onto Skype and he quickly connected the call. After a bit of fuzz and desert static from their less than reliable internet connection, Puck was thrilled and relieved to see both his wife and son sitting in front of the screen, Jameson waving at his father with a giant goofy grin on his face while Quinn gave him that soft smile that never failed to make him melt.

"Hey babe, can you hear me ok?" he asked, leaning forward toward the microphone.

"Yeah, we can hear you just fine. Can you hear us?"

"Yep. Hey buddy," he waved at his son, Jameson waving back again and saying hello to his dad before sitting back on Quinn's lap.

They chatted briefly before Quinn asked Jameson to go play with his toys so she could talk to Puck for a few uninterrupted minutes. The little boy scampered off toward his room leaving his mother grateful for the few minutes of peace.

"I love him more than life itself, but he is a handful. Definitely your child," she chuckled tiredly.

"The prodigal son, that's for sure," Puck replied, smiling back before remembering her email from earlier, "So what's going on Quinn? That cryptic message you sent scared the shit out of me. You said it was urgent I get back to you. Is everything alright?"

Quinn's face contorted a bit and she chewed on the inside of her cheek, "Well, I hope so."

"Q, you're kinda scaring me here. What's going on?" he pressed further.

She sighed, "There's something I need to show you."

Puck's face scrunched in confusion, "O-kay. What?"

Quinn's figure disappeared from the frame for a moment before returning a few seconds later, "Ok, you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied, holding his breath and preparing for the worst. His body was rigid and he closed his eyes, not sure if he was ready to see whatever it was she wanted to show him. The way she was acting had him all sorts of freaked out and he was slightly terrified to find out what was so urgent.

"Puck, you need to open your eyes in order to see this," she replied with just the slightest hint of amusement laced in her voice.

He slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the screen where she sat patiently. He saw her holding something in her hand before she moved it closer to the camera for him to see.

It was the size of a picture but he couldn't quite make out what of. It was black and white, but from where he was sitting, it looked to be of fairly poor resolution and quality.

"Uh, what is that? What am I looking at?" he asked.

She held the picture closer to the camera, "Look harder."

Puck leaned forward and scrutinized the picture further, his eyes widening as he saw Quinn's name printed in the upper right hand corner. He looked back at the center of the photograph, recognizing the unmistakable white outline of a head, little arms and a set of feet.

"No way! Is that what I think it is, Quinn?"

Quinn pulled the picture away from the camera and grinned, biting her lip as she nodded.

"You're – You're pregnant?" he asked, his eyes lighting up instantly as a grin spread across his face.

Quinn broke out into a huge smile too before nodding again, "I'm about 10 weeks along."

Puck opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, instead shaking his head in surprise and letting out a happy laugh.

"I know it's too early to tell just yet, but I really think it's a girl this time. It feels the same as it did with Beth," she mused, a hopeful expression consuming her features.

"We're having another baby?" he asked again, smiling wide. "We're having another baby! I'm going to be a dad again!" he exclaimed, the rest of his team going silent and turning their attention to the corner of the room where Puck sat talking to Quinn.

"Are you serious?" Finn asked excitedly from across the room.

Puck whipped his head around to see the rest of his team staring at him, waiting for an answer, "Quinn just found out she's pregnant! We're having another baby!"

Quinn felt a blush creep up her cheeks at her husband's excited declaration to the rest of his team and pretty soon they all appeared behind him on the screen to give them their congratulations and to pat Puck on the back before going back to what they were doing, giving the expectant parents some time to themselves again.

Puck was so stunned by Quinn's surprise revelation that he could barely speak, simply staring at her in a delighted shock.

"So apparently birth control is not very effective when you're on antibiotics," Quinn joked nervously, waiting for Puck to speak up again.

"That's right, you weren't feeling too hot before I left," he remembered.

"No and I honestly haven't been feeling well lately either, but I just thought it was the stress and flu bug that's going around. I should have known. You think I would be better at knowing when I was pregnant by now, but apparently that is not one of my strong suits. This is the second time I've completely missed most of the signs."

"Are you feeling any better now?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, for the most part. Well, besides the morning sickness. I'm just a little tired and worn out is all, but now that I know what's really going on, I'm going to make it a point to take it easier, especially after I finish these finals," she sighed, looking back up into his eyes, "So you're ok with this?"

"Ok with this? Quinn, I'm thrilled! More Pucklings!" he grinned and winked, earning a small giggle from his wife, "And while we may not have been planning for it right now, I really think it's a sign."

"A sign?" she asked, curious to see where this was going.

"Yeah, a sign that we kick ass at this parenting thing and that the Big Man Upstairs thinks we've got this down."

"Well, it's either that or I'm just really inconsistent when it comes to birth control. Either/or."

"Nah, everything happens for a reason."

"You really think so?" Quinn asked, wondering where all of this wisdom was coming from.

"Totally. Just look at how we turned out. We hit some shitty spots along the way, but if our lives leading up until now were a cake-walk, do you really think we would be where we are right now? Do you really think we would be married with a kid and another little one on the way?" he asked, giving her a soft smile, "Every trial and tribulation is part of the plan. We just have to have faith that it will all end up ok in the end."

"When the hell did you get so smart and wise, Sergeant Puckerman?"

"Ever since I read it in an article in Cosmo last month. Not a half bad magazine if you ask me."

"You read that in Cosmo?" she asked incredulously, "I guess I only focus on the dirtier articles," she added with a wink.

"Yes, I read that in Cosmo and don't give me shit about it. It was the only magazine left in the shit-hole of a gym we have here and I needed something to look at while I rode the bike," he said defensively, before his lips curled into his trademark smirk, "But I definitely saved the article about the 72 sex moves to try sometime."

She knew he was trying to get a rise out of her so she decided to play along, "Ooh, keep that… you know what those pregnancy hormones do to me."

Quinn watched him swallow hard before breaking out into a grin and laughing, "Woman, you'll be the death of me one of these days."

"Hmm, death by sex?" she teased, "Not a bad way to go in my book."

"Oh, that would be the best way to go in my book," he replied, his smirk softening into a genuine smile, "But honestly, I really hope our little one is a another girl."

"Me too," she smiled and sighed, "I mean I know we will love our kiddo, no matter what we end up having but I really hope it's a girl."

"When will we be able to find out?"

"I have another appointment in about 7-8 weeks so hopefully by then."

"Good! I want you to let me know ASAP!" he laughed, "And keep me updated on how everything is going too!" He thought about it and counted off on his fingers before continuing, "And if all continues to go well, we should be done with our tour before the baby is born too. I'm just so sorry that I can't be there with you while you're going through all of the pregnancy stuff again. Not that running out for ice cream and Hot Pockets at 3am was my favorite thing to do, but still, I wish I was there to help you out."

"It's ok, I'm a tough cookie," she chuckled, "And my mom offered to move back up here to help with J-Boogie and such while I'm in school and stuff, and I may take her up on that for a while if you're ok with that. I honestly don't know how much longer I can continue going like this, especially now."

"Yeah, do whatever you need! She would be a huge help and even though I know you're trying to do all of it on your own, you could use some help and some sleep. Don't wear yourself out too much. You're carrying special cargo now, you've got every excuse to take it easy!"

Quinn laughed as his lopsided, goofy grin, the one that instantly puts her at ease, and felt her heart swell with familiar warmth and emotion. They continued to chat for a while before Puck noticed the time and apologized for needing to go.

Quinn gave him a soft yet slightly sad smile at their goodbyes, blowing a kiss at the screen.

"I love you, Puck."

"And I love you, Q," he smiled as he saw Jameson amble back up into his mom's lap, "And I love you too, Jammer!"

"Love you, Daddy!"

He gave them one last smile before remembering to add in one last thing, "Oh, and Quinn, tell the baby I love it too."

* * *

><p><em>TBC…<em>


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** _Thank you all so much for sticking with this story! We're nearing the end and I am so thankful to everyone who has read my story, added me to your favorites list and subscribed! I am so overwhelmed by the support I have gotten and as a writer, the response is unbelievably gratifying._

_Thank you again to **walkingthegardengnome, xoElle23, MsKylie93, Ellii51, andsoitis2, marine04, Dianna, EllaBella18, A Amanda A, zikkiroxh2o, CAS, craftylily, FF2Addict, i'm a gleek1994, musicisglee, TheHeadbandProject, lilypilots90, Etonson, Jayla, jude, Joyce, Tiny, FinchelQuickFan101, Michaela, Cassie, Lena, Cherri-Babii, Litanya, JOEBLACK, Sinj2011, CarterIsMine, jamieskib, adida23, Charmqn, raspberryslushie, Pleba, plaincrazysuckup, naïve sweet girl, justanotherquickshipper, atothekc, asia, Quick36, Chersti, Ciara, wisdomgoddess26, Paia1240, quickxforwood, GleeSG, MarthaWashington, arygon199, pink elephant in wonderland, foreverQuick, C, **and **Crysie1979 **for your reviews. If I missed sending you a personal thank you, I really appreciate your support. Thanks again!_

**Chapter 27**

_Early April_

After several long weeks of Puck harassing her on a regular basis, asking her how she was and how she was feeling, the day had finally come for Quinn's 18 week appointment and ultrasound. As she sat in the waiting room, she found herself incredibly thankful that the day had come to find out what they were having. She loved her husband, but his incessant nagging and questions into her condition was starting to drive her nuts.

She knew Puck was curious and he had never been good with surprises so she knew he was anxious to find out what they were having. And if she was completely honest with herself, she was pretty anxious to find out too. Sure, she and Puck had already had a boy and a girl, and while they would be thrilled with whatever they ended up having, she secretly wished it was a girl.

Their first born, Beth, would be turning ten years old in June, as crazy as that was, and despite the fact that they got to see her on a pretty regular basis and were a part of her life, both she and Puck felt a bit of a loss that they weren't the ones to truly raise her and be there for her all the time. Shelby was a wonderful mother and had taken great care of their little girl. Beth was growing into a beautiful young girl who was quite smart for her age (a trait Puck attributed to Quinn and Shelby) but definitely had a witty and mischievous streak to her (a trait both Quinn and Shelby attributed to Puck).

Unfortunately, it seemed as though their son Jameson also inherited that mischievous nature as well, the little boy getting into anything and everything he possibly could. He was already a handful at the age of three and Quinn couldn't imagine what he was going to be like as a teenager. Puck took pride in the fact that his son was like his own little 'Mini Me', and he had vowed a long time ago to be there for his kids no matter what, unlike his own father. While he was an amazing father and a wonderful husband, she couldn't help but cringe at the thought of her son turning into a carbon copy of Puck in high school…even though that was when Quinn had first fallen for her husband. He was sweet and kind to her, but a cantankerous troublemaker otherwise, and she just didn't want to deal with Puck 2.0 when Jameson finally hit his teens.

However, they were both wonderful kids overall and she was beyond thrilled and excited to add onto their young family and give them a new little brother or sister to look after and care for.

She continued to glance at her watch and flip through the magazine in her lap when a voice broke her out of her nostalgic reverie.

"Quinn Puckerman?"

Quinn smiled at the nurse and stood, making her way back through the office and into the exam room.

The nurse asked her a few questions and took her blood pressure before letting her know the doctor would be in soon to take a look. She didn't have to wait long as the doctor strolled in a few moments later.

"Hi Quinn, how are you feeling?" Dr. Ethan asked, giving the twenty-six year old blonde a warm smile.

Quinn returned the smile before answering, "I've been better. I'm kinda worn out, but that could just be from my three year old, and you know morning sickness is always an awesome way to start the day, but otherwise not too terrible."

The doctor chuckled a bit as she got the ultrasound machine all set up, "Sounds pretty normal to me but keep me posted if anything gets worse."

She asked a few more questions and checked over Quinn's chart before asking her to hop up onto the exam table. She got herself situated and pulled her top up, shivering lightly at the cool gel the doctor spread on her stomach before flipping on the ultrasound machine.

Almost instantly a solid, steady heartbeat came over the speaker and Quinn couldn't suppress the giant smile that over-took her face. The doctor took a few notes regarding the baby's vitals before adjusting the wand and smiling down at Quinn.

"Have you decided whether you want to know the sex of the baby? Or would you like to keep it a secret?"

Quinn bit her lip as she stared at the screen before answering, "Both my husband and I are pretty anxious to find out what we're having. We're too impatient to wait," she giggled.

"How is your husband doing, by the way?"

Quinn smiled, remembering the chat the two of them had her last visit when she found out she was pregnant. The good doctor's husband was also currently deployed overseas so the women instantly bonded over their similar situations.

"He's doing well. Stressed as usual, but still managing to get on my nerves from 7,000 miles away. Typical Puck," she joked, the two women falling into easy conversation before the doctor printed out a few new pictures for Quinn.

The doctor then made the big reveal, finally announcing what Quinn and Puck were having. Quinn smiled softly at the ultrasound photo in her hand, unable to tear her eyes away from the tiny black and white silhouette of their new baby.

She thanked the doctor and set up another appointment for a later date before making her way out of the clinic and heading home.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as she got home, Quinn booted up her laptop to check and see if Puck was online. When she noticed he wasn't, she sent him a quick email letting him know they needed to talk whenever he had a chance before starting on some of her homework. Jameson was at day care for the day and she was thrilled to get a little time to herself.

A little less than an hour later, she heard that all-too-familiar ding of a new email in her inbox and knew it had to be Puck. She signed onto Skype and called him up, his face popping up on the screen shortly thereafter.

"Hey babe!"

"Hey hun," she replied, "How everything going?"

"Well, we're all still alive, so that's a plus."

Quinn sighed before replying, "Puck… you know I hate it when you say stuff like that."

"What? It's true."

"I know, but I still don't like it."

"Fine," he sighed and flashed that cheeky grin, "So, how was the appointment."

Quinn thought about it a moment before deciding how she was going to play this. She hadn't quite decided on what she was going to say so she figured she would just roll with it.

"Oh, you know, same old, same old. The bun is still baking in the oven."

"And?"

"And I heard the heartbeat and got a new ultrasound picture. Pretty standard visit."

"And?" he asked again, sounding a bit more impatient.

"And what?" she responded, knowing her evasion of the question was getting on his nerves.

"And what are we having?" he replied, perturbed at her lack of a sufficient response.

"Oh that," she replied sarcastically before grinning into the camera, "Well, before I tell you, I have a very important question to ask you first."

"O-kay, what's up?"

"Ok, this is very important so I need your honest input."

"Fine Quinn, go ahead."

She could see his jaw tighten and knew he was getting more and more impatient the longer she made him wait.

"Ok you ready?" she asked, giggling lightly to herself, "If you had to choose between lambs or bumblebees, what would you pick?"

Puck's eyes got wide as he stared into the screen, blinking a few times in disbelief at the question she posed.

"_That _ was your important question? What kind of question is that?"

She sighed dramatically, a little skill she picked up from the overly dramatic Rachel Berry, before responding, "Yes! And it is a very important question!"

"How? How is that an important question and what does that have to do with anything?"

Quinn smiled gently before deciding to drop the act, "Because I'm trying to get your thoughts on what the perfect animal theme would be for a little girl."

Puck's eyes went wide in shock and his mouth twisted into a huge grin as soon as the gender left Quinn's mouth.

"Are you serious?" he asked excitedly, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

Quinn nodded her head in affirmation while grinning, "Totally serious."

Puck quickly jumped out of his chair and was practically dancing with excitement, "We're having a little girl?" he said, his eyes misting over a bit as he absorbed the information, "Baby, that's perfect."

"Are you ok with that?" she asked, smiling because she already knew the answer.

"Q, if you couldn't tell from the giant grin on my face," he teased, smiling wider if it was even possible, "I'm over the moon right now. This is perfect. Our perfect little family."

A few stray tears made their way out of the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks as she took in her husband's huge grin before he turned around and made the announcement to the rest of his teammates, Finn and the rest of the crew shouting their congratulations from all directions.

She brushed the tears away quickly before remembering what she said earlier, smiling before asking, "So, back to my question, lambs or bumblebees?"

Puck let out a hearty laugh, "You're still stuck on that?"

Quinn giggled before responding, "Yes, I am! I want to start planning now! Jameson had the duck thing going on so I figured either bumblebees or lambs would be good for a little girl."

"What about monkeys or bears or even frogs?"

She arched an eyebrow at his last suggestion, "Frogs? Seriously? I don't want people thinking she came out as a toad or anything. Plus Santana still won't drop the fact that she's amazed that we didn't have a lizard baby and frogs are a bit too close to lizards in my book. That would just give San extra ammo. And I like monkeys and bears, but I'm not too thrilled about the color brown."

Puck simply rolled his eyes at his wife before turning around and whistling at his unit mates, "Hey guys, lambs or bumblebees? Quinn wants to know."

Vargas laughed and told him he was a woman for asking a bunch of manly commandos whether they preferred lambs or bumblebees, but Puck shot him the death glare he had seen many a time from his wife and Vargas ceased his teasing, mentioning that he liked bumblebees. The rest of the guys threw out their opinions, Tex missing the question all together and suggesting cows which Quinn shot down immediately, but after a solid count, Puck turned back to the camera to announce their opinion.

"Looks like everyone here votes for bumblebees. Plus, weren't lambs your thing?" he asked before chewing the inside of his cheek, "And I know we gave Beth a stuffed lamb the first time we saw her after the adoption."

Quinn could remember that day very clearly, so she quickly nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you're right. Lambs were Beth's thing. Ducks were Jameson's. So bumblebees it is for yet-to-be-named little girl."

Puck chuckled at the new moniker, "So is that what we're going to be referring to her as from here on out?"

"Yep, until mommy and daddy can think of a better one. So get crackin'!"

"Top of my to-do list, babe," he smiled, "And tell my little man that I said hey."

"I will," she replied, offering him a soft smile in return, "I love you, Puck."

"I love you too, Q."

"Take care of yourself," she concluded and he gave her a small nod before signing off, their goodbyes always the same at the end of every conversation.

* * *

><p><em>Mid-June<em>

After a stressful past few months of dodging mortar fire and clearing out more mountainous caves than he cared to remember, Puck was incredibly relieved to discover that his team was up for leave at the end of the month. They would each get two weeks off for rest and recovery to do what they pleased before returning and finishing out the last few months of their deployment.

He was ecstatic that he would be able to go home and spend time with his family and actually see his pregnant wife before she delivered. He knew the end of his deployment would be cutting it close to her October 21st due date and he hoped and prayed he would be able to make it back in time, but if he didn't, he would end up missing out on her entire pregnancy.

While most guys would love to avoid the mood swings and 3am trips to the store for random foods to satisfy their pregnancy cravings, Puck had to admit that Quinn was an extremely sexy pregnant woman. There was just something hot about her carrying his child inside of her that always got him and there was nothing in the world that was more amazing than being able to place his hand on her belly and feel his child kick in response to his voice. Plus, Quinn's pregnancy hormones turned her into an insatiable hellcat in the sack and that was also a definite plus.

And frankly, if he was able to get leave and see his pregnant wife and son AND make it home in time for the birth of their little girl, he'd totally take it!

x-x-x-x-x

Quinn was startled awake by the ringing of her cell phone on the bedside nightstand. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at the alarm clock, the early 5 a.m. call a rude way to start her day. She didn't recognize the number and considered not answering, but after realizing just how early it was, she figured it may be important.

And boy was she glad she answered that morning. Hearing Puck's voice, albeit crackling with static at the other end of the receiver was a wonderful way to start her day. And better yet, the news he delivered regarding his visit absolutely delighted her, Quinn unable to fall back asleep after listening to all of the details.

She was absolutely ecstatic and couldn't wait to call Rachel and find out how she and Finn were planning on spending his R&R as well.

But in true Rachel Berry-Hudson fashion, Quinn didn't have to wait long before receiving yet another phone call, this time from the sassy brunette herself. Rachel practically squealed into the phone as she asked Quinn if she knew that the guys were coming home and wondering how Quinn and Puck were planning on spending the vacation.

The girls chatted for a bit and Quinn was thrilled that Rachel was going to try and take some time off of the show she was currently in to spend the time with Finn. It had been a while since she had seen her friend and really looked forward to a mini-reunion of sorts, so she assured Rachel that they would meet up either at Ft. Drum or in NYC regardless if she got the time off.

Then Rachel informed Quinn of another wonderful piece of news: Beth and Shelby were slated to be visiting some friends and Rachel in NYC around the same time and it would be a good opportunity for the Puckerman's to be able to get the whole family together and see one another again. Quinn was practically bouncing on her bed with excitement at the prospect of seeing both her husband and her not-so-little little girl.

Rachel immediately went into planning mode, chatting away animatedly and throwing out ideas as to what they could all do. She rattled off dates as to when Shelby and Beth were coming up and listed a few other things when Quinn's stomach started to gurgle. Apparently, the baby was not a fan of all of the excitement that early in the morning.

After quickly apologizing to Rachel and expelling the contents of her stomach, Quinn decided to get up and make the most of the time that Jameson was still asleep by checking her calendar and researching places to stay and visit in NYC.

She savored the time her son was asleep or completely engrossed in his own imaginary world playing with his toys, the little tornado of energy wearing his mom out with ease on a daily basis. She wondered how early she could put him into some sport that would run some of the energy out of his body, but figured that three years old was still a bit young for sports anyway.

However, she was amazed when the clock struck 9 a.m. and her little man was still asleep, Quinn checking on him to make sure he was still breathing or something as he was usually up by around 7 a.m. every day. He was still peacefully dozing so she decided to take the time and make the one other phone call she had been contemplating making ever since Rachel mentioned it earlier that morning.

She picked up the phone and dialed Shelby's number, surprised when the younger, softer voice of her daughter answered. Quinn talked with Beth for a while, the younger of the two telling Quinn all about the summer swim team she was on and about everything that was going on in her life before Quinn heard Shelby's voice in the background. They said their farewells before Beth handed the phone to Shelby.

Quinn and Shelby caught up for a few minutes before Quinn mentioned that Rachel had told her about their planned visit to New York City later in the month. Shelby confirmed the trip and told Quinn that she was actually planning on notifying Quinn of their plans when they had everything finally set in stone. Quinn then mentioned that Puck and Finn were coming back to the States for R&R for a few weeks and she would love it, and she knew Puck would love it as well, if Shelby would be ok with them coming down to visit them while they were in the city for a while.

Shelby chuckled and asked if Quinn and Puck would like it if Beth came to visit them in Ft. Drum for part of the trip, commenting on how stressful it may be on them to pack up a toddler for a week or so when a ten year old would be easier to move instead. She insisted that Beth had been wanting to visit Puck and Quinn for a while but Shelby admitted that she didn't know the proper way to go about asking if they were willing to have her come stay with them for a bit.

Quinn was thrilled, accepting the offer immediately, excited to finally spend time with their daughter in what seemed like forever. Shelby assured Quinn that it was no trouble and they began making arrangements to pick up Beth in the city so Quinn and Puck could take her back to Ft. Drum with them for a week or so. Quinn knew Puck would be thrilled as well at the opportunity to have their daughter back under their roof for a bit, even if it mean that they were still "Aunt Quinn and Uncle Puck" to her.

The ladies chatted for a few more moments before hanging up the phone, Quinn shooting off a quick email to Puck to update him on what was going on before heading upstairs to rouse her munchkin and take him out for a mini-celebratory breakfast. Even if he didn't know really what was going on or why they were "celebrating," she knew he would dig the funny face pancakes the place down the street made for little kids.

* * *

><p>Twenty-eight hours.<p>

Puck groaned as he lifted his head and looked out the window of the plane again as it descended through the clouds, the skyscrapers of New York City coming into view on the horizon. He leaned over and nudged Finn, the taller man jolting awake as he wiped the drool off of his chin and looked over Puck's shoulder out toward the city.

It had been a long twenty-eight hours of travel time, including a few stops and flight changes, but none of it mattered the second they saw their home country come into view. They were finally home, even if just for a short while, and they both could hardly wait to see their families and be reunited with their loved ones at JFK International Airport.

Finn was ecstatic to finally see Rachel perform in her latest show _Hair _ on Broadway. She joined the production right before he was deployed and had emailed all sorts of pictures of the cast and set and Finn couldn't wait to see his wife do what she loved and perform in front of a packed house on Broadway. He also caught wind from Puck that Shelby was going to be in town for part of the trip, so he was thrilled that it would end up being like one big family reunion with the Hudson, Puckerman, and Corcoran clans.

Puck, on the other hand, was simply beside himself with nervous excitement to see his whole family upon landing. When Quinn mentioned Beth's visit a few weeks back, he couldn't believe it at first. But his initial disbelief turned into nervous excitement at seeing his first-born for the first time in almost a year.

She was a beautiful young girl (who looked almost identical to Quinn) who had grown so much over the past several years that Puck could hardly believe that she was ten years old already. Time had flown in the blink of an eye and the thought alone was a bit much to swallow. He was a father of three, whether Beth knew she was his or not, and that was definitely overwhelming and quite entertaining considering what a womanizer, rebel and loose cannon he was in high school.

The closer the plane got to the city, the more anxious Puck became to get off and see his family. He attempted to straighten out his camo uniform lapels and fidgeted with the zipper on his pack, making sure that the chocolate he got for Quinn and Beth, the toy airplane he picked up for Jameson and the plush bumblebee he purchased for his soon-to-be-born baby girl at London's Heathrow Airport were all secure in the top pocket before settling back for the final descent and landing into New York City.

x-x-x-x-x

After an emotional reunion at the airport with both of their families, Beth kissed Shelby goodbye and the Puckerman family began the two and a half hour trek upstate to their home near Ft. Drum. It wasn't the first time Beth had visited their house but it was the first time she would be there without Shelby, and both Puck and Quinn had to admit they were a little nervous having the girl around.

Shelby had warned them that she was a bit precocious and inquisitive and had a bit of a mischievous side (not unlike her father or younger brother), but even though Puck had dealt with his younger sister when she was around the same age, it was still nerve-wracking to have their daughter around again. They both promised Shelby that they would take care of her and continue to stick to the plan and act like they were her good friends or her aunt and uncle, but it was so hard not to scoop her up in their arms and tell her the truth.

Beth had become quite a handful as of late and with little Jameson running around too, Shelby simply snorted at their assurances, leaving them with a 'good luck and have fun' before waving to her daughter and taking off with Rachel and Finn.

Quinn and Puck found themselves a bit confused by her reaction and her parting words as they drove home, neither one really understanding what she was getting at until they finally made it home to Ft. Drum and all sat down for lunch.

"So," Beth stated, picking at her sandwich after making small talk for a bit, "Are you really my aunt and uncle? Or are you my real mom and dad?"

Puck choked on the bite he was chewing while Quinn gently lowered her sandwich to her plate, shooting a glance at her husband and patting him on the back before calmly telling Jameson he could take his sandwich with him if he went and played out back. She glanced back at Puck, who was staring wide-eyed back at her, before turning her whole focus back to the little blonde girl in front of them. Beth just sat there and stared right back at Quinn, one eyebrow arched as she waited for their response.

Puck wanted to laugh at the fact that Beth had picked up more things from the two of them than she probably realized before deciding this conversation was probably going to be fairly serious, reaching across the table and grasping Quinn's hand and giving it a little squeeze in support.

"Can you hang on for just a second," Quinn asked, standing up quickly and grabbing her phone, "I'll go get J-Man settled outside and I'll be right back in."

Puck tried to keep a hold of her hand, his eyes pleading with her not to leave him in this uncomfortable silence, but she wiggled her hand free and made her way out the back door. Once outside, she took note that Jameson was happily riding his tricycle around in circles before turning on her phone and dialing a familiar number.

"Hi Quinn, is everything going ok?" Shelby asked.

"Uh yeah, kinda," Quinn hesitated before nervously asking, "So, quick question, how much does Beth know about everything?"

Shelby chuckled lightly, "Well, she is a pretty smart girl and she is very perceptive, but I'm not quite sure what you're referring to."

"Come on Shelby, you know I mean about Puck and I and everything with that," Quinn replied, knowing the older woman was messing with her.

"Oh Quinn, you know I was just joking. But like I said, she's smart and pretty perceptive. She does know she's adopted and I have explained where Rachel fits into everything as well. But you sound kind of tense right now, so I'm going to assume that she's finally asked you the big question."

Quinn's head started to spin a little as she processed what Shelby just told her, "Yeah, just now actually."

Shelby chuckled again on the other end of the line before responding, "See, I warned you she was quite precocious."

"So, does she know about Puck and me? I mean, you know – or er, how much do you want her to know?" Quinn asked nervously, biting her thumbnail and glancing through the glass door at where Puck and Beth still sat at the table, "I mean, we don't want to overstep or anything but Beth is currently having a stare-down with Puck at the kitchen table and I just didn't know what to do."

"Well, thanks for the concern and for feeling the need to ask me, but I think she's old enough to know. She's quite mature and I think she can handle it. Plus, she already asked me about you and Puck last week, so I told her to ask you. Have fun with that," Shelby replied, a hint of humor still lacing her words.

"Gee, thanks," Quinn responded before asking, "So, you're ok with us telling her the truth?"

"Absolutely. I think she probably expects it by now, given the fact that she's probably glaring at Puck right now. If I do say so myself, she looks exactly like you when she gives people that look, almost like she's demanding a satisfactory answer. I see a lot of you both in her on a daily basis. Although, I could go without a few of the principal's phone calls I've gotten regarding her so called 'witty remarks' to a few fellow classmates. You wanna take care of that while she's there too?" Shelby asked, chuckling again.

Quinn felt herself smiling for the first time since Beth dropped the bombshell earlier, "Sure, might as well tackle that one too," she joked before thanking Shelby and hanging up. She reminded Jameson to stay on the patio before heading back inside to face the music.

Puck looked up at her with questioning eyes as she sat back down, clasping her hands together in front of her and offering Puck a small smile before looking back at Beth, who continued to munch on her chips as she stared at Puck.

"Um, so I was just curious, where did that question come from, B-bear?" Quinn asked tentatively.

"I'm ten, not dumb," Beth responded, laughing lightly at their surprised reactions, "Plus, I know I'm adopted. Aunt Rachel looks exactly like my mom and I look like you," she remarked, looking at Quinn, "But mom says I have an ornery streak, much like my Uncle Puck, so I kinda put two and two together," she finished, looking at Puck.

Puck cracked a smile and Quinn took a sip of her drink, still unsure of what exactly to say. But before she could think of anything, Beth continued, "Plus, mom already told me all about Rachel and everything," the little girl commented, looking at the label on her juice pouch, "I just want to know the truth."

Quinn sighed and Puck squeezed her leg under the table before clearing his throat, "Bug, you know we love you, right?" He waited for Beth to nod before continuing, "The answer to your question is yes, we are your biological mom and dad."

"Biological?" she asked, scrunching her nose, "What's that?"

"It means that you _are_ our daughter," Quinn added, "You came from us, just like Jameson did, and just like the new baby will."

Quinn saw Beth's eyes narrow in contemplation before the young blonde spoke up again, "Well, if I was yours, why do I live with Shelby now? Why does Jameson live with you guys and I live with Shelby? Did you not want me?"

"No!" both Quinn and Puck exclaimed at the same time, Quinn taking the lead after, "Beth, it was never like that at all. Sweetheart, we love you so much and nothing will ever change that. We love you and Jameson and the new baby all equally and we always will. Not a day goes by that we don't worry about you or wonder about you…"

Puck saw the tears begin to well up in Quinn's eyes and knew that she felt like she had to explain everything out to Beth and reassure her that they did want and love her, but he felt it would be best to keep things simple for now and explain all the emotions and such later. He gently squeezed Quinn's leg again before essentially cutting her off by clearing his throat.

"Beth, your mom and I were very young when we found out we were having you. We were only sixteen years old, that's only six years older than you are now. And while that sounds old, because you'd be in high school and can drive a car at sixteen, that is still very young to take care of a little baby girl. Too young. We wanted to keep you," he replied, looking to his teary-eyed wife as she winced slightly at the memory, "but we didn't have the money or the means to take care of you when we were that young. So we found an amazing lady who would love you and take care of you the way we wanted to but couldn't."

Beth eyed her biological parents, noticing the look sadness on Puck's face and the building tears in Quinn's eyes before speaking up again, "So you didn't give me up because you didn't love me?"

Quinn felt her face fall even further as she wiped away her tears, standing and rounding the table to crouch down beside Beth and cradle her face in her hands, "No sweetheart, we love you so much. We just weren't ready to have a baby. We wouldn't have been able to take care of you as well as Shelby did. Your dad – I mean Puck and I had to grow up a lot over the past few years and now that we're older, we're a little more prepared to have a baby. But when you were born, as much as we loved you and wanted to keep you, it wouldn't have been fair to you and being raised by two young kids like we were at the time was not what was best for you. Shelby could provide what we couldn't and after fighting with ourselves and our hearts, we knew we needed to do what was best for you. We love you so much, B."

A single tear trickled out of Beth's eye at the admission, her real parents staring at her in bated anticipation as they waited to see what she would say next.

However, before anyone could open their mouths to speak, they were interrupted by a loud crash at the back door. All three of their heads whipped around just in time to see Jameson fall off of the side of the tricycle that he had slammed into the back door on accident, the little boy exploding into a fit of giggles as he tried to push the capsized tricycle off of him.

Puck snorted and murmured that he would go check on little "Captain Destructo" as the two girls broke out into a fit of laughter at the little boy's antics.

Beth grinned as she watched Puck pick Jameson up off of the patio, blowing a giant raspberry on his tummy before bringing him inside to play instead.

"So, does that mean _he's_ my brother?" Beth asked, signaling to the toddler now playing with his trucks in the living room.

"Yep, sure does," Puck replied as he came back into the kitchen, smoothing Beth's hair before kissing her on the top of her head.

"Oh great," she replied jokingly, rolling her eyes, "He's kind of a spaz."

Quinn laughed harder before wiping under her eyes, trying to fix the mascara that had most likely run before speaking again, "Be nice. But then again, it's kind of true," she agreed before adding, "And this little one will be your little sister too," she said, placing her hand on her stomach.

Beth reached out and placed a hand over Quinn's five and a half month along baby bump, "What's her name?"

Quinn smiled at her first-born's gesture, "We don't know yet. Puck and I need to work on thinking of one over these next few weeks."

Puck smiled as he watched his girls interact with one another, somewhat impressed with how easily Beth accepted the whole thing but still wanting to double check that everything was alright, "So Bug, are you ok with everything? I mean, did we answer all of your questions?"

Beth pursed her lips for a moment before replying, "Yeah, it makes sense to me. I mean, I knew I was adopted and Rachel was my mom's daughter too, but I never looked like either of them. I have blonde hair just like Quinn does, not brown. Plus, I'm actually pretty happy that you two are my real parents. You've always been around and I know you guys love me, and now that I know I wasn't just given up because someone didn't want me, I understand. I love you both too, you know?"

Both Puck and Quinn smiled softly back at their daughter before she spoke up again, "But I don't really know what to call you now? You're not Uncle Puck and Aunt Quinn, so can I just call you Mom and Dad?"

Quinn swallowed the lump in her throat before responding, "Sure B… but Shelby is your mom too."

"I know that," Beth replied exasperatedly, "But I figure if Rachel can have two dads, I can have two moms and a dad. Why not?" she shrugged, pursing her lips.

"I think that's a good point, champ," Puck replied, looking to his wife, who nodded in return.

All of a sudden, Beth's face lit up, her eyes turning toward the hand she still had placed on Quinn's stomach, "Hey! She kicked me!"

Puck grinned even wider, "Nah, she's giving her big sister a high five."

"It means she likes you," Quinn replied, covering Beth's hand with her own.

They continued to sit around and talk a bit more before helping Beth get settled in the guest room Judy Fabray vacated earlier in the week when she went on a women's church group cruise, leaving the young family to enjoy one another's company for a while when she was away.

_This was going to be a nice little trip home_, Puck thought as he curled up next to Quinn later that night. The two of them had stayed up late that evening trying to pick out a name for their new little girl before finally settling on the only name they could agree on: Riley. They still had yet to decide on a middle name, but a first name would do for now.

_But first things first_, he thought, smiling against Quinn's hair. In the morning, Puck planned on sneaking out of the house early to add another tattoo to his growing collection. He knew Quinn would not be happy, but he felt he could make a point for it being justifiable if it was for sentimental purposes. He was already planning on getting Quinn's, Beth's and Jameson's name tattooed on his chest, right above his heart, but now that they had picked out the name they would give their baby girl (and made Quinn promise not to change her mind), he was thrilled to be able to add Riley's name to that list. They were his family, the most important people to him, and he loved them all dearly…so why not have a permanent reminder of all of them?

He snuggled in closer to Quinn and kissed the back of her neck, Quinn stirring gently and settling into his arms before drifting off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After an excitement filled two weeks of rest and recuperation, Puck found himself packing up his duffle and preparing to fly back out to Afghanistan in the morning. He tried to tell himself that it would only be another four months before he got to come home again and that it wasn't like he was leaving forever, but for some sinking reason, he felt like he was.

He hated leaving his family and while he knew Quinn was a tough cookie and could handle Jameson on her own, he hated the fact that he wouldn't be around to help her out as her pregnancy progressed. He hated that his return from overseas would be cutting it close to when she was due and he hated the fact that he was, yet again, missing out on more time with his son and Beth. They both had grown so much over the short span of time since he'd seen them last and he knew he wanted to be there for everything in the future as well, even if it meant giving up the Army that loved and had treated him so well.

Quinn looked on somberly as he continued to pack, trying to hold in the tears that threatened to spill at the thought of her husband's impending departure. She watched as he glanced around the room one last time before tightening the duffle's rip cord and placing it on the floor, looking back up into her eyes as she bit the side of her cheek hard to keep from sobbing.

He gave her a soft smile before murmuring that he would be back in a minute, Puck taking the few moments of solitude to check on his slumbering children one last time. He entered Jameson's room first, sitting on the bed and gently ruffling his hair before leaning down and kissing him on the forehead, murmuring that the three year old needed to look after his mom and be good while he was gone. He then made his way into Beth's room after that, gently kissing his daughter's cheek and telling her he loved her before gently closing her door behind him.

He made his way back into his and Quinn's bedroom to find his wife in the same place he left her, trying not to burst into tears as she rocked gently on the edge of the bed. Puck closed their door and made his way across the room, gently caressing Quinn's cheek before kissing her sweetly.

Their kisses became more desperate, as did their need to feel one another. Clothes, words and declarations of love were replaced by gentle kisses and soft ministrations as Puck lost himself in the comfort and warmth of his wife.

Quinn's lips only left Puck's skin to moan at his caresses, her body melting into his as he set a leisurely slow pace. Puck gently trailed his fingertips down her sides and back causing Quinn to shudder with every touch and movement of his hips. Her husband making love to her evoked such strong emotions within her as they writhed together, causing a few tears to escape the corner of her eye as they murmured their love for one another.

After all was said and done, Puck snuggled into her back and held her close, wrapping his arm around her and resting it on her protruding stomach, holding his girls and whispering his promise to protect them from everything. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring and even though their missions were dangerous and their job was treacherous at times, he knew he would do whatever it took to keep them safe and make it home to his family.

* * *

><p><em>TBC...dum, dum, dum.<em>

_So, I know this chapter was pretty much filler (and I know it's not my best work) but I thought it was important to the overall story. Family is everything to me so I felt that family time was just as important as everything else._

_Also, I will tell you that it does pick up next chapter, so expect some action. War is messy. I wanted to thank you all again for your support with this story and reading and letting me know what you think!_


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N:** Thank you to **andsoitis2, xoElle23, Ellii51, MsKylie93, walkingthegardengnome, A Amanda A, Hayley Louise, MaximumFire, Anon, gleeothfriends90210cccjsdAMD, Shananigan (times 3!), and dee20 **for your wonderful reviews! _

_Also, I'm not going to make any excuses as to why this has taken forever to update. It's been a long time, and I'm sorry. All I can say is this was a particularly difficult chapter for me to write and even though I knew it was going to be tough, I hoped it wouldn't take this long. But it did. I will give a better explanation in a few chapters but for right now, Sorry._

**Chapter 28**

_September_

Quinn sighed as she rubbed her temples gently, the glare from her computer screen giving her a headache as she looked over the rest of the week's schedule. She was juggling school and taking care of her son while being almost eight months pregnant, and while Judy was a huge help, she had taken off earlier the previous week for another girl trip with some friends from back home. Quinn felt bad Judy had practically uprooted her life back in Lima to come live with them for a while and help out, and while Quinn knew Judy didn't mind helping out, she was also excited for things to go back to normal once Puck came home.

She was stressed and overwhelmed as usual, not as bad as she was her first year of law school, but even then, Puck had been there for half of it. She just kept thanking God he would be home in a month or so to wrangle their little monster and help out with the new baby when she finally came so Quinn could stop feeling guilty about using her mother like a crutch all the time. Plus, it would just be nice to have him home.

She missed him terribly and he was always such a comforting and loving presence in her life. She honestly didn't know what her life would have turned out to be like if it weren't for him. He was her biggest supporter, her best friend, her gentle and attentive lover, a wonderful father, and the strongest, most compassionate and loving man she had ever met. _Funny how things can change so drastically from high school_, she thought as she finished typing another email to him, pressing send before shutting everything down for the night.

Quinn waddled her way up the stairs, stopping in to check on her son once more before heading toward her and Puck's room. She sighed as she pulled on one of his old t-shirts she loved to sleep in while he was gone, the soft fabric making her feel like a part of him was with her every night when she went to bed, before tucking herself under the covers.

Puck's last leave had been far too short for her liking but she knew he couldn't do anything about it. She was thrilled that she got to see him again, even if it was for two weeks. They were able to spend time together as a family, all of them, and for once their lives felt complete. It was wonderful, and even though their parting was sad like usual, he promised he would be back soon and would make it there in time for the baby's birth. She wasn't so naïve to think that he would absolutely, without a doubt make it back for the birth, seeing as how the Army had a different timetable than little baby Riley might, but she found herself hoping for a miracle that he could make it. That would be absolutely perfect.

But then again, life isn't perfect.

She said a quick prayer for her husband, his unit and their family and friends before settling into her pillows for the night. For some reason, an uneasy feeling seemed to be plaguing her lately, but she couldn't quite figure out why or what for. Maybe it was her stress over her schedule for the semester, especially given the fact that she was about to give birth mid-way through and would have to miss a chunk of class. Maybe it was the uncertainty of when Puck would finally come home and if he would be there for Riley's birth.

She hoped that it wasn't the "mom sixth sense" that was telling her something was wrong with the baby or with Jameson, and she made a quick mental note to listen to her body and to check on her son in the morning, but one could never really know. There were so many things up in the air at the moment making it difficult for Quinn to pinpoint the source of her unease, but all she knew is she didn't like it.

It was a good thing her friends were coming up from New York City for the weekend. The visit would be a welcome reprieve from her otherwise hectic life and she was excited to finally see Santana, Britney and Rachel again after what seemed like forever. They were always a nice stress-relief and it would be a great way to decompress from everything she felt like she was shouldering on her own at the moment. A little girl therapy is most certainly what she needed; a little sarcasm and wit from Santana, a touch of childish enthusiasm and fun from Brit, and a much needed ear to listen in the form of Rachel.

_Hopefully, it was going to be a good weekend_, she thought as she smiled into her pillow, clutching Puck's pillow into her body as she situated herself and her belly for the evening. _Hopefully, it would be a good weekend…_

* * *

><p><em>Afghanistan, September<em>

Puck signed his name at the bottom of the letter he just finished writing, sealing it in an envelope and addressing it correctly before stowing it in safely in his footlocker. The whole ritual seemed a bit strange and pessimistic to some other service members, condemning even, but he and his entire team had been doing the same thing every once in a while during their past several deployments. Many other Special Forces teams did the same thing, all hoping that once they returned home to the States, they could shred the letters and forget about the whole thing, instead focusing on being there with their families, but they were somewhat reassuring in their existence as well.

He took a few moments to re-compose himself before heading to the computer, logging on and smiling when he saw the new email from Quinn. He read it a few times over, grinning at the pictures of her and Jameson she attached. She was getting bigger but she still looked amazing to him, and he couldn't wait to meet the little girl growing inside of her when his tour of duty was over next month.

He laughed at a few of the pictures of Jameson, the little troublemaker obviously trying his mother's patience often but he looked so darn cute when he was caught red-handed getting into whatever mischief he possibly could. _Poor Quinn and Judy_, he thought as he chuckled over a picture of Jameson sitting inside one of the cabinets in the kitchen, an entire can of frosting open and smeared all over his little body.

Puck typed out a response to her, adding a few pictures of him and Finn and the rest of their team he had taken since they had been over there, before sending it off.

"You ready, dude?" Finn asked, standing near the entryway of the portable trailer Puck, Finn, and Tex shared.

Puck wiped his hands down his cleanly shaven face before standing, "Are you ever really ready for this shit?"

Finn shot him an understanding look, "No, I guess not. But we've only got a few weeks left. Almost done."

"True. I just get a bad feeling every time we get Op-Orders like this. It always seems to give me that eerie feeling like it did in Zabul," Puck explained, referring to the doomed mission two tours of duty ago.

Finn cracked a smile, trying to put his friend at ease, "You always say that before missions like this. And what happens? We go out and kick some asses and take some names. Plus, we were green back then. We're better trained than the enemy and we know what to expect. So whaddya say, champ? "

Puck finished lacing up his boots and smiled back at his best friend, "It's game time."

Tex popped his head into the trailer, grabbing his boonie hat and extra canteen, "You ladies ready? Captain America is waiting for us in the ready room."

Both Puck and Finn chuckled at Tex's private nickname for Parker before following him to the ready room.

x-x-x-x-x

Three hours after Parker's briefing concluded, the men found themselves hunkered down in the cargo hold of an aircraft, waiting for the ramp door to open and the green light for them to commence their jump into hostile territory. Puck and Finn did a quick buddy check of each other's gear, making sure they remembered everything, before they heard Parker's voice over hum of the aircraft's engines.

"You Girl Scouts ready?" he asked the men, a light smirk on his face as he received the stink eye from all the rest of his men, "We're going HALO in about 30 seconds."

Puck and Finn nodded at each other before slipping on their masks, preparing for one of their now routine high-altitude, low-opening jumps they trained for and used quite frequently to get in and subsequently extracted out of enemy territory without worrying about raising suspicion by driving a humvee right through town.

The jump bay doors opened and the green light flickered on, signaling they were over their landing zone. Parker turned to the men and gave them the countdown.

"3, 2, 1. Mountaineers Airborne," he called out over their helmet intercoms, Tex and Vargas jumping out first, followed by Puck and Finn, while Parker brought up the rear.

Hunt had gone out into the field the previous night to set up a position and observe the happenings in the village they were supposed to recon and gather intelligence, reporting back to Parker throughout the day and helping them coordinate their insertion into the village itself early that morning. The men were supposed to infiltrate the camp just before dawn, when the sky was still at its darkest to preserve their cover, and hopefully get what they wanted and get out with little to no hassle.

Like that was ever the case…

Puck and Finn linked up with the rest of the men as they fell through the sky, checking their altimeters and GPS locators as they made slight adjustments to drop down into their landing zone. As soon as they hit the appropriate altitude, the men all pulled their rip cords and drifted softly down to the earth. Once they all had landed and quickly stowed their parachutes, Parker radioed headquarters, who was overseeing the mission to let them know of their status.

"Oracle this is Mountaineer One, all boots on the ground." Parker whispered, waiting for their confirmation.

Once he received the all clear response from 'Oracle' at the base headquarters, Tex radioed Hunt, who was positioned high on a ridgeline near the village, to let him know of their status as well. He received a series of radio blips in the form of Morse code in acknowledgement, taking that as the go-ahead, and the men began the three and a half mile trek through the mountainous landscape toward their target area.

x-x-x-x-x

After about an hour of walking, the men finally reached their rendezvous point. They each hunkered down behind some low brush on an adjacent ridgeline that was about a half mile away from the small encampment, pulling out their own scopes and checking out the terrain.

Hunt had been on the lookout for them from his position and radioed into Tex.

"How was the hike? You look a little winded, I think you may be getting too old for this."

Tex snickered lightly before whispering his response, "No, that would be Parker. Old Man River is sucking wind over there," he chided, earning the finger from Parker before getting serious, "So, what are we looking at?

"So far, we've got four 'Charlies' positioned in a truck to the northwest side of building 'echo.' Otherwise, not a whole lot of movement. You all copy?" Hunt asked over their radios, their sniper gazing into his scope as he spanned the entire landscape, checking for any other signs of movement.

Tex glanced over their charts, locating building "E" (echo) on their maps before relaying his concurrence back to Hunt. The men continued to observe the movements of the men and the truck for a little while longer, waiting until it finally left town kicking up a trail of dust down the dirt road in its wake, before anyone moved from their position.

Parker verified with Hunt that the coast was clear before he signaled for the rest of the unit to move out. They began their descent of the ridge, careful to remain on the path and footholds they could find as to avoid any unnecessary rock slides or any other movement that may prematurely give away their position.

This was supposed to be a simple in and out job. Get in to suspected hideout, subdue any potential threats, gather intelligence and get back out. Easy as that. In fact, that was pretty much the story of their whole deployment.

The intelligence they had on this particular village was rather thin though. They had been told that there were several suspected top ranking terrorist officials that used this location as a drop point for sensitive material that would then be disbursed throughout the region by other lower level minions, probably much like the ones who just left in the truck. This location had been under satellite surveillance for a while and the intelligence community as well as the military deemed it as an important location to the insurgents, requiring a more thorough and up-close inspection of the operation taking place here.

That's where Puck and Finn's team came into the picture.

Their specialty was working within the small, mountainous regions, whether it be eradicating a particular cell or gathering intelligence from a suspected terrorist haunt, they were very good at getting in and getting out quickly, quietly and without incident…most of the time.

The team humped it down the ridge and quickly made their way up the main road, Hunt still giving them updates on the status of the small village on a regular basis. All was quiet, and that was optimal given the rumored hostilities in the area and the uncertainty surrounding this particular village. Quiet was good, it usually meant people were asleep and they could sneak in and sneak out, no problem.

Yet, sometimes, the quiet was bad…unnervingly bad. They just had to hope and pray it stayed this quiet.

As they neared the edge of town, they all quietly regrouped behind a rock and mortar building, silently signaling each pair to fan out and prepare to cover one another as they made their way along the buildings until they reached their target destination: a suspected Taliban holdout and armory near the center of the village.

Unfortunately for them, the village was built entirely around a main area and marketplace, the houses and buildings all designed in a horseshoe shape around the central square before ending at the open dirt road that left town to the south, meaning they would have to sneak around over half of the homes and buildings in the village just to get to their target location and potentially open themselves up to discovery by one of the villagers if they weren't quiet or careful.

Parker received the all-clear from Hunt before gesturing wordlessly for the team to move forward, Puck and Finn silently stalking forward several yards before scanning the area and holding down a cover position, Puck signaling back for Vargas, Tex and Parker to proceed. Their movements resembled that of a game of "leap-frog," each group overtaking the other before taking up a protective stance and waiting for the other group to pass them as they made their way down the sides of the buildings toward the holdout.

The men continued to stalk down the streets, canvassing the area with their scopes and checking in each window as they went along to make sure they were still in the clear as they inched closer and closer to the center of the village.

Puck and Finn had just made their move onto another building, quickly checking in an open window when Puck saw a sight that made his blood run cold. Among the slumbering bodies of men, women and children, there was a sizable stockpile of weapons in a far corner ranging from everything from RPGs to black market AK-47s just waiting to be used against any unfriendly force. Just waiting to be used against the Americans in country.

Puck signaled to Parker to check it out, the men making a note of it and sneaking past the house silently as they came up on the suspected armory. Hunt, who had been monitoring their progress as they crept along, murmured that there was no sign of movement. The men circled the building quickly and checked in all the windows before Tex jimmied the lock open and all five men quickly stormed in, sweeping the expanse for threats before lowering their weapons and setting out to search for what they came for.

Vargas snapped a few quick photos of the area, taking a survey of all of the weapons and conversing quietly with Parker about what they were going to do while Puck, Tex and Finn gathered all of the loose papers, maps, zip-drives and whatever other things they could find, securing them all in their side pockets.

Vargas and Parker continued to debate the best way to handle the dangerous stockpile, deciding to rig the place to blow when the men were a safe distance away. They had Finn look over the ordinance, trying to find the best way to contain the blast to only the building to avoid collateral damage and possible civilian casualties, and once they made up their minds, four of the men went to work rigging the explosive and detonating device while Puck guarded the door and remained on the lookout.

They were almost done setting everything up when a series of Morse code beeps came over their headset radios, Hunt's voice following the tones.

"Mountaineers, you've got company. I repeat, you've got company. Over," he murmured into the radio.

The men froze in their spots, taking up firing positions at all the doors and windows while Parker radioed back.

"Location and ETA?" he asked quickly, keeping his voice hushed in case their "company" was just outside the door.

"The truck is returning from the south. Best guess, two and a half clicks away and coming in hot," Hunt said, sending Finn into overdrive to quickly finish setting the timer on the explosive before grabbing his rifle and joining the men near the door, "Get out of there, now!"

Estimating they had about two minutes to evacuate the building and get out of sight, the men scrambled out the door, sweeping the expanse of the village square with their rifles before quickly making their way back toward the direction in which they came.

They were almost in the clear too…until the truck carrying eight additional insurgents crested the hill and pulled into the square.

"They've spotted you! Take cover!" Hunt squawked over the radio, watching in his scope as several of the men in the bed of the truck raised their weapons and began to fire.

All of the men took cover as quickly as they could to remain out of sight, but they weren't fast enough, a barrage of yells followed by the crack of bullets flying over their heads as they dove behind whatever barrier was closest. Puck dove off sideways behind a low cinderblock barrier, swearing as he ducked to avoid the debris that was shot off the building next to him.

The dawn was breaking and they would be in big trouble if they didn't get out of there soon, the other villagers more likely than not waking up to the gunfire and arming themselves in the process…and it was a lot easier to target soldiers out in the daylight. He chanced a peek around the side of the barrier, noting that Tex and Vargas had made it a bit further down the street, the two men taking cover behind a barrier similar to his whereas Finn and Parker got held up behind the rest of the men, resorting to taking cover behind a rusted truck that sat out in front of the armory they had just rigged to blow, the two men pinned down by the gunfire.

Puck heard a few bullets fly past his head, quickly ducking back behind the barrier and radioing Hunt.

"How many are we looking at?"

The radio cracked a bit before he was given his answer, "Nine, but I see movement inside a lot of the buildings so I can't give you a definitive answer," Hunt paused before Puck heard the familiar crack of a 50 caliber round being fired out of Hunt's rifle, "You're up to around thirteen, well twelve now. I'll keep you posted."

Puck heard another crack before he chanced another look, this time spotting two men running out of a building across the square from his position, the men raising their rifles as they ran toward Tex and Vargas' position. Puck didn't even have time to think, quickly raising his rifle and taking aim, gently squeezing the trigger and bracing himself for the kick of the rounds leaving the barrel of his gun. Almost immediately, one of the men dropped to the ground, the other taking a few more staggering steps before also collapsing.

No matter how many times they had been in this position and needed to protect themselves, the fact that he had just killed two men was still hard to swallow. He felt like the villagers here were trying to protect their families and friends, even if they were in cahoots with a terrorist organization, but much like the villagers, Puck too would fight and even kill to protect his family and friends. It just never got any easier.

He heard more yells and rounds hitting the nearby buildings, the faint yet distinct crack of Hunt's rifle sounding out a few more times in the distance. Before he could reflect any further, the sound of two more truck engines filled the air, more yells and a distant sound of an explosion pulling him back to the present.

"Fuck, we've got two more vehicles, five charlies to a vehicle. They're heavily armed and carrying RPG's. If this party gets any bigger, we've gotta call in air support," Hunt reported, "I'll take the drivers but they're the least of our worries."

At this, Puck rolled onto his stomach at the side of the barrier, shielding himself as he pulled himself into a prone firing position, taking aim and firing at the men in the trucks. The wind picked up throwing dust and dirt everywhere, limiting the visibility and making it more difficult to accurately determine where the gunfire was coming from. He glanced to his left, noting that Tex and Vargas were both in crouched firing positions, taking cover around the corners of one of the structures as they squeezed off several of their rounds too.

"Copy," Parker replied, squeezing another few rounds off before glancing around at Finn, their voices clearly audible over the radio "How much time do we have left on those charges?"

"Three minutes, forty two seconds," Finn replied, checking his watch.

"We've got to get out of here, we're far too close for comfort," Parker stated, glancing around and firing another few rounds in the direction of enemy gunfire. He knew they needed to get away from the armory, but there was simply no place to go from where they were at. He looked at Finn once more before earning a nod of silent agreement, "We need to move, but we're kind of trapped and if we run, we'll be out in the open. Can we get some cover?"

Hunt was the first to reply, "I can barely see shit and I'm pretty sure they've figured out my position so I may need to move too. As far as I can tell and judging from the muzzle blasts, there are still ten to twelve hostiles remaining in the area. Weaponry unknown at the time."

No sooner than the words had come through the radio that a distinct "whoosh" followed by a high pitched whistle screamed through the air.

"RPG! Take cover!" Parker shouted through the radio. Puck ducked behind his wall, looking toward his left as he saw the side of a building next to Vargas and Tex's location explode sending glass, dirt and mortar flying in all directions.

Another high pitched whistle pierced the air, Puck ducking for cover yet again as the rocket propelled grenade slammed into a wall near his location sending him further behind the barrier. He was not in a good location he realized, noting that the barrier and the building were connected, essentially trapping him if he were stuck here for much longer. He didn't have much of a choice so he figured he had to make due for the time being. He looked back over toward where the RPG had exploded near Vargas and Tex, both men having resumed their original firing positions and squeezing off a few rounds.

"Sit Rep!" Parker shouted over the radio, expecting each man to radio in to let him know if they were all ok, "Mountaineer one, needing to move but ok."

"Mountaineer two, in the clear," Hunt responded.

"Mountaineer three, in the clear," Tex replied.

"Mountaineer four, besides the ringing in my ears, in the clear," Vargas attempted to joke.

"Mountaineer five, also needing to move but ok," Finn responded.

"Mountaineer six, in the clear," replied Puck, rounding out the team. He glanced to his right, noting that he was not at a good location to provide cover fire for Parker or Finn either, hastily adding, "Mountaineer one, I do not have an angle to cover you. I've got a view of the east and main square."

"We've got you covered, Mountaineer one," Tex replied, "Visibility is still shit, but we can make out the truck. You've got to move toward your left, one of the trucks has taken up a position at the end of the street to your right."

Puck attempted to readjust his scope, a few stray bullets whizzing past his head as he ducked away again, pulling himself back into position and squeezing off a few more rounds before hearing Hunt's voice over the comm.

"I can't see anything either, I'm moving now. Tex, call in air support. I don't like this shit one bit," he replied.

Puck glanced over at Tex and Vargas, both men continuing to squeeze off a few rounds before Tex ducked behind the barrier once again.

"Oracle, this is Mountaineer three. We need immediate air support and extraction. The landing zone is hot. I repeat, the LZ is hot."

A few seconds later, a voice filled all of their headsets, "Mountaineers, this is Oracle. We read you loud and clear. Air support is in route. ETA six and a half minutes."

"Shit, we've got to move now, sir," Finn shouted over the comm at Parker signaling at his watch, "Forty two seconds."

Another few high pitched whines pierced the air followed by loud explosions, the ground shaking with every mortar round and RPG strike. Puck swept the expanse of the square with his scope, zeroing in on one of the insurgents, an RPG rocket sitting on his shoulder as he prepared to fire. Puck squeezed off another few rounds, the man staggering and pulling the trigger before collapsing, the rocket flying at an awkward angle toward the top of one of the buildings near Puck.

The rocket tore through the top floor of the building, raining debris down on the men below. Puck rolled out of the way to avoid a large chunk of material that landed nearby, quickly resuming the position and scoping out the square again. Gunfire continued to ring out but the rest of the insurgents must have taken cover, none visible from his particular angle.

Once again, Finn's voice came over the radio, "Captain, we have to get the fuck out of here. Now!"

Without hesitation, Parker responded, "Ready or not, here we come. Cover us!"

Puck tried his best to angle his rifle around the side of the barrier, the angle awkward as it forced him to shoot left handed around the barrier instead of with his preferred right hand but he did the best he could. Vargas and Tex feverously continued to scan the square, firing off rounds at muzzle blasts whenever they saw them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Puck saw Parker and Finn signal to one another before making a break for it, raising their rifles as they ran in the instance that an insurgent may take advantage of the poor visibility and take a shot.

Parker and Finn broke out into a sprint, making it a few steps before two more high pitched whines made Puck's blood run cold.

"RPG!" Vargas shouted.

Puck vigorously swept the expanse again, looking for the noise when the two rocket propelled grenades slammed into the side of the truck Parker and Finn had just been taking cover behind, the shrapnel ripping through the vehicle and turning it into a giant fireball, pieces of flaming debris shooting into the air in all directions.

The explosion out front must have prematurely triggered the explosives inside the armory, the entire building and all of its contents exploding from within. Puck shielded his eyes as best as he could, the explosion violently shaking the ground as the shockwave from the blast blew outwards, sending the fleeing Parker and Finn flying off of their feet and throwing them several yards away, their bodies tumbling to the dirt like ragdolls.

Puck felt his entire body go numb as he watched them sail through the air and hit the ground, his heart in his throat as he waited for them to move or do something to suggest that they were still alive. He sent up a quick prayer as he stared at their bodies lying in the middle of the square, out in the open and exposed.

There were still the occasional gunshots from where Puck assumed the insurgents were located, but otherwise the square had gone eerily quiet, like someone was almost waiting and daring somebody else to make a move before unleashing hell again.

"What the fuck was that? Parker?" Hunt asked, sounding out of breath. When he received no response, he radioed again, "Sit rep?"

"Mountaineer four took a hit and is rendering his own aid," Tex replied, referring to Vargas before giving his own situation report, "Mountaineer three, all clear."

Puck glanced out across the square, swallowing hard before giving his report, "Mountaineers one and five are down. I repeat, Mountaineers one and five are down and in the open."

He heard Hunt's voice hitch and become heavy as it was apparent he had began to continue his descent off of the mountain down into town as fast as he could, "What's their status?"

Puck continued to scrutinize the bodies, his pulse racing as he hoped and prayed he saw some type of movement, "Unknown, but I see no movement."

"Continue to cover them," Hunt ordered, "Regardless, we take everyone home."

"Roger that," all three of the men replied in unison, each assuming their firing positions once again as they looked out over the square at the bodies of their fallen friends.

Puck heard several commands shouted in Arabic before another few high pitched whines pierced the air, this time the blasts ricocheting off of buildings near Tex and Vargas, the two men recoiling behind their barrier as debris rained down on top of them.

"Where the fuck is our air support, Oracle?" Tex shouted into the radio as he and Vargas tried to kick away some of the flaming debris from the area.

"Mountaineer, Eagle Eye is approximately four minutes out with your extraction following," the voice on the other end of the radio said.

Puck glanced back out at the square, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw Finn's arm move slightly. He heard his friend groan as Finn raised his head slightly, looking around for his gun. Puck could tell he was still a little groggy, his movements slow and shaky but he was alive and moving and that was all that mattered to Puck.

"Finn, you copy?" he asked into the radio, "Finn?"

When he was met with straight static, Puck assumed the blast took out Finn's radio transmitter in the process, making it difficult to assess his and Parker's injuries and what they could do to keep them safe until air support arrived.

Before he had time to process what to do any longer, the silence was shattered by a barrage of gunfire, the rounds ricocheting off of the surrounding buildings lining the streets. Puck tried to cover his head and face, doing his best to keep an eye on Finn and Parker while still remaining vigilant and on the lookout for insurgents as the dust was finally starting to clear. It was like they were trying to lay down a suppressive fire, hoping to hit anything as the insurgents sprayed the area with their automatic rounds.

"We are under heavy fire, Eagle Eye. If you could step on it, that would be great," Puck faintly heard Tex say over the blasts and rounds exploding all around them.

Puck tried to get off a few rounds in the direction of the blasts, the automatic spurts coming from the muzzles of old Soviet grade rifles distracting him from his task of keeping an eye on Finn and Parker. He squeezed the trigger several more times, hoping to hit something to stop the barrage.

But it was a loud yelp and a string of profanities in English that caught his attention once again and forced him to refocus on covering Finn and Parker.

"Fuck!" Finn yelped as one of the insurgents roughly grasped his arm and began dragging him away from the center of the village square. He twisted and fought back, trying his best with what little strength he had in him to get away, "Let go of me!"

Puck turned his attention back to his friend just in time to see the bearded insurgent's boot make contact with Finn's face, a splatter of blood escaping Finn's mouth as his head recoiled. The insurgent spit on Finn before grabbing his arm and tugging again, this time keeping his rifle trained on the soldier he was dragging.

Puck didn't hesitate in bringing his rifle back up and training it on the insurgent. There was no way he was going to let them take his friends as prisoners. There was no way he would allow these terrorists to turn his fellow brothers in arms into another one of their sick and twisted videos they liked to stream online after capturing, torturing and ultimately executing his fellow countrymen and soldiers. He took aim and gently squeezed the trigger, releasing exactly one bullet, the insurgent toppling over backwards as the round arrived at its intended target.

"They're trying to grab Hudson and Parker! We've got to get them out of there!" Puck shouted into his radio, hoping someone would have a better idea as to where all of this firepower was coming from.

"We're taking fire from three different angles. If you can cover it to the south, we may be able to cover your six from here. Or we can wait for air support," Vargas replied, continuing his duck and cover before firing off a few more rounds and seeking cover again routine.

"Nah, we've got to move now. We don't have time to wait for air support! They're out in the open and at least Hudson is still alive. We need to get them out of there now before those bastards figure out they're still alive and make another play for them!"

"I am almost there," Hunt replied, his breathing labored as he continued to run, "If they are out in the open in the middle of the square, we have to get them out before the air support comes in and starts spraying the area. I need about another minute to get to a better spot to scope out the area and see what we're dealing with."

Puck shook his head as he watched Finn roll slightly on the ground, an audible groan escaping his bloodied friend's mouth. He scoped out the area once more before clenching his jaw. That was his best friend in the entire world, the boy he had known since they were in preschool and the guy who had been his best man at his wedding, lying there in the open and who knows what else the insurgents would do if they knew he was still alive. He'd be damned if he left his friend there to die at the hands of some religious fanatic halfway around the world.

He clenched his jaw tightly before glancing around once more.

"Cover me. I'm going in," he shouted over the radio.

He heard Vargas and Tex both radio in that they had the east and the west covered, Hunt saying he would be able to cover the south in a few more seconds before pushing himself to his feet and crouching in a ready position. He checked the area one last time, waiting for a slight lull in the gunfire before deciding it was time.

He raised his gun and ran, sweeping the expanse as he sprinted out toward Finn's position, swerving slightly to avoid running straight thus making it more difficult for their marksmen to get a clean shot off. He heard the whizzing of bullets fly past him in both directions, his teammates making good on their promises to cover him as he continued to run toward his friend. His heart was pounding and he heard the rush of blood in his system as he continued to sprint toward Finn.

He faintly registered a blow to his flak jacket but the adrenalin took over, Puck sprinting the last few feet toward Finn before dropping and sliding next to his friend on his knees.

"Finn, can you hear me man?" Puck asked, quickly glancing over Finn's body and assessing his injuries.

"Yeah, you're shouting in my face," Finn tried to joke, his usually white teeth rimmed with blood from where he was kicked in the mouth a few moments earlier.

"Where are you hit?" Puck asked, noticing a stain of red on his left shoulder and an ankle that was twisted in a manner in which was not natural.

"A piece of shrapnel hit me here," he replied, signaling toward his left shoulder, "And I'm pretty sure my right leg is broken. Hell, my left leg feels like shit too. Walking out of here is going to suck."

"What about Parker?" Puck asked, still crouching over his friend and covering him with his body as their other teammates continued to cover them from afar.

"Dunno, but I think I saw his chest moving, so I think he's still breathing. Other than that, no idea."

"We have to get you out of here. Air support is coming in hot. We need to get out the line of fire."

"How the fuck are we going to do that when I can't fucking walk, Puck?" Finn replied before glancing a few yards away at their Captain, "Just, go get Parker. Don't worry about me."

"Like hell I won't," Puck replied, shifting around until he was crouching over Finn's head, "And this is probably going to suck but it's the only way I can think of this working."

Puck latched onto the right shoulder strap of Finn's flak jacket, readjusting his hand to get a better grip before raising himself to a low position, bearing his weight in his legs as he began to tug, dragging Finn toward where Parker lay.

He made a quick check of Parker, sticking his hand under the man's nose and ascertaining that his battered and bloodied CO was still breathing before slinging his gun around his front and latching onto Parker's flak jacket the same way he did with Finn's. Taking a deep breath and steadying himself, he waited for another lull in the gunfire before bearing his weight backwards and beginning to drag the men back toward the relative safety of the buildings.

Bullets continued to whiz by but Puck was in the zone, his adrenalin pumping as all he could think of was getting his friends to safety. He was so in the zone that he barely registered another blow to his body, this time a brutal heat searing past the Kevlar of his flak jacket just under the shoulder strap near his right collarbone. But he could barely feel it, his body coursing with adrenalin and raw power as he continued to drag his friends to safety.

He heard another high pitched whine come from the east. Realizing it was yet another RPG, he crouched down and attempted to cover Finn and Parker as best as he could, the rocket propelled grenade slamming into the ground just feet in front of the barricade Tex and Vargas were crouching behind.

The two men took cover, the gunfire from their end ceasing while the barrage of rounds from the insurgents seeming to pick up in intensity as Puck continued to provide some cover for him, Finn and Parker. Puck felt like he was shooting at ghosts, aiming in the direction of the muzzle blasts, but the wind had picked up and the dust whipped around them as debris continued to rain down on the square, the lack of visibility proving difficult to overcome.

He knew they were still out in the open and with visibility as low as it was, they were risking getting caught in the crossfire when the Air Force air support arrived. He squeezed off a few more rounds, waiting for yet another lull before pulling himself back up and grasping their flak jackets again, tugging them along with him.

"Seriously man, just leave me. This is a bad idea," Finn yelled as Puck continued to drag him and Parker across the clearing.

"I am not leaving you!" Puck shouted back, grunting with exertion with every step he took, "Just watch my six."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt two more blows against his body, one striking the back of his leg, the blow causing him to trip and lose his balance. The other blow hit him right below his right shoulder, the white hot heat searing through his body as the round tore through his skin under near his arm-pit. The second hit to his right side caused him to lose his grip on Parker, his arm feeling dead and his hand refusing to cooperate as he frantically tried to grab the flak jacket again.

He heard Finn yell something, but the ringing in his ears muffled the sound, Puck determined to drag them to safety if it killed him. He felt a bit light headed but he needed to keep moving, refusing to leave his friends exposed and out in the open. He hooked his uncooperative, numb hand under the shoulder strap on Parker's flak jacket and continued to awkwardly stagger toward the cinderblock barrier.

Puck glanced up and saw Vargas and Tex crouched in their firing positions, squeezing off rounds into the dust behind him. He could have sworn he saw them yelling, Finn also trying to get his attention too by slapping his leg, but he was almost there. They were so close to safety. He could only hope and pray their air support arrived soon.

He took a few more steps, each stride taking more effort and exertion as he went. His whole body was revolting against him, chills running through his body and both of his arms numb, but they were almost there.

He felt the ground explode near him, knocking him off balance slightly before he felt three or four more blows in the back, the force sending him keeling over forward. He stumbled a few steps before collapsing partially on top of Parker, his labored breathing blowing the dust into his face.

The ringing in his ears was deafening and his vision was spotty, but they were so close! He glanced over at Tex and Vargas, both of the men yelling in his direction while continuing to fire off rounds in their direction. He watched as the two men ducked back behind the cinderblock, another explosion nearby shaking the earth under them.

His body began to tremble and his legs and arms were going numb as he tried to push himself back up again. It was like his world was moving in slow motion as he twisted himself around to look for Finn and Parker again. He saw his rifle lying near him, picking it up as best he could with his good arm, cradling it under his left shoulder as he crawled back to Finn and Parker.

He saw Finn's mouth move and faintly registered him yelling something at Puck, the taller boy's eyes widening as he crawled closer to their location. When he finally made it back to his friend's side, a movement to his right caught his eye.

Like spirits emerging out of the dust, Puck watched as three insurgents raced toward their location, their eyes betraying their intent as the jogged toward the fallen men.

He heard their shouts in Arabic as one of the men crouched down and grabbed Parker's ankle, Finn doing his best to grab onto his teammate's hand and hold him before they could drag him off and turn him into a POW, or worse, another internet video.

Puck's reactions may have been delayed by the rounds lodged in his body, but he sure as hell wasn't going to give up now. Gently, maneuvering slightly, he knew he needed to make this count. He took a deep breath and flung his body over Finn's, his back to Finn's chest as he raised his rifle as best he could with his rapidly numbing arms and squeezed off a few more rounds, two of the men dropping instantly.

The third man, however, was quicker than Puck was.

He dropped Parker's leg and reached for his gun, firing another four rounds directly in Puck's direction. Puck felt the first blow against his flak jacket, thanking his lucky stars that the Kevlar lining protected him.

The other three rounds, however, missed the Kevlar completely.

Two rounds seared through his lower abdomen and the other lodged itself in the left side of his chest as he raised the gun and fired at the third man. The man staggered a bit, Puck's rounds errantly flying through the air as he tried to hold his rifle steady with his rapidly decreasing coordination. The man looked back up at Puck before raising his gun again, Puck using the last bit of his strength to fire off another few rounds until the man lay lifeless on the ground.

All at once, Puck felt extremely drained, the rifle falling away from his body to the left as he collapsed back against Finn, partially rolling onto Parker in the process.

"Puck? Puckerman?" Finn shouted, trying to push Puck off of him and survey the damage.

"Mountaineers, stand clear. Air support ETA fifteen seconds," their radio's squawked, signaling the Air Force had just arrived.

Finn turned his attention to the sky as he heard the incoming thunder of the F-16 Falcon fighter jets screaming into the area, the high pitched whine of the rounds they just dropped toward the south end of the village increasing until one by one they littered the earth, blowing numerous vehicles sky high and effectively silencing the gunfire and muzzle blasts coming from the insurgents' locations.

Considering his bum legs and his position under Puck, Finn did his best to drape his torso over his friend's, making sure to cover up his face as the rounds hit the earth, wanting to protect him and Parker from the remaining fall-out and debris. As soon as it felt like the dust had somewhat settled, Finn chanced a glance up, feeling relief that the gunfire had ceased for the time being. But as he looked around a knot formed in his stomach as he finally took in the whole scene and realized what had just happened.

Puck had saved his and Parker's lives.

Not just when he protected them from the insurgents who tried to drag him and Parker off, but by coming out there and getting them in the first place. Puck had maybe only dragged them about 15-20 yards from where Finn remembered landing after the explosion that broke his leg, but the area where they had been, where their rifles that had been thrown from their bodies lay, was now a small crater in the earth, an errant round dropped by the air support landing directly where they had once lain.

Finn swallowed hard and licked his cracked, chapped lips before looking over at his best friend, still draped across his legs. He took in Puck's appearance, the blood-soaked uniform, trembling limbs, shallow breathing and glassy eyes, his heart plunging into his stomach making him feel like he wanted to vomit as he watched his friend struggle to stay conscious.

He reached out and put pressure on Puck's abdomen, noting that was where it looked like he was losing the most blood. He placed his second hand over the wound under Puck's left arm, putting as much pressure on the two points as he could, praying the extraction helicopters were going to get here soon.

"Puck? Hey, Puck?" Finn asked again, gently shaking Puck's body, praying to get some sort of response out of him, "Puck-a-saurus? Goddammit, Puckerman!"

Puck blinked a few times as he looked up at the sky, a faint whoosh of helicopter rotors distinguishable as two Blackhawk helos crested the ridge and made their way toward the village. His vision was going spotty and his whole damn body was wracked with chills and he wasn't quite sure exactly what was going on, but he knew it wasn't good.

He heard Finn yelling at him and faintly registered his body being shaken by his friend, but everything felt so strange, so out-of-body and he felt exhausted, cold and drained.

He looked back up at Finn and allowed his eyes to refocus, registering the taller man pushing on his stomach and his chest as he stared at Puck wide-eyed. His head was swimming and he felt dizzy, the ringing in his ears getting worse as he looked up at his friend.

"Finn," he replied weakly, trying to draw a deep breath that seemed to be evading him with every breath he drew in, "You're my best friend and you know I love you like a brother, right?"

"Yeah man, I do," Finn replied, intently focusing on Puck.

"I need you to do me a big favor."

"Anything. You name it."

Puck tried to lick his lips, his tongue completely dry and his mouth parched as he tried to finish what he knew he needed to say.

"There's a letter in my footlocker… for Quinn," he explained, his voice shaky as he drew shallow breaths in between every three words, "I need you… to make sure…she gets it."

"Why can't you give it to her, champ?" Finn asked, trying to keep him alert and talking.

Puck tried to give his oldest friend a soft smile, before ignoring the question completely and continuing.

"I need you to give her the letter… and tell her I will always love her, no matter what."

Finn felt his insides freeze as he realized what Puck was saying.

"Nah man, you'll be able to tell her yourself. We're going home, buddy. You can tell her then."

Puck tried to smile again, but a cough came out instead. Finn tried to mask his surprise at the sight of blood around the corners of his mouth and in between his teeth, but Puck noticed. He simply continued.

"And I want you tell my kids that I love them. That they were my whole world," he paused, drawing another labored breath, "Teach Jameson how to throw a football like you used to. Being a quarterback is way better than a receiver anyway," he tried to joke.

"No, you're going to teach him that," Finn started, but Puck cut him off again.

"And tell him to be good to his mom and sisters, be the man of the house and all," he continued, "And don't let either Beth or Riley date until they're 30. They'll be knockouts just like their mom, so they're going to need Uncle Finn to scare all the boys off."

Finn tried to smile for his friend's sake, faking a small chuckle, "I can see you chasing all of the high school boys like you off with a shotgun now."

Puck looked up at the sky again, prompting Finn to look up as well, watching as the helicopters rapidly approached the village, beginning their initial descent.

Puck coughed again, bringing Finn's attention back to his friend. His gut twisted and a lump formed in his throat as he watched two tears escape the corners of Puck's eyes, slowly sliding down his cheeks as he swallowed hard again.

"Please Finn," he pleaded, "Promise me you'll give Quinn the letter and tell her I love her with all my heart. Please make sure my daughter will know who I am, and that my kids will remember me and know that I loved them too."

Finn shook his head vehemently, feeling the hot tears prick at his own eyes as he cradled Puck's head in his lap, one hand still applying pressure to Puck's abdomen.

"No man, you're going to tell her that! You'll get to know your daughter and hold her when she's born! You'll be there," he stated, watching as Puck's breathing became erratic, his eyes drooping as he fought to stay awake, "Just stay with me, man! Stay with me, Puck!"

Puck's eyelids felt heavy as they started to slide closed, jerking back open a few times as Finn continued to yell. He felt another person slide on the ground next to him and recognized Vargas trying to speak to him but the ringing had become all-consuming, drowning out all other outside sound. He felt Vargas cutting off the straps on his flak jacket and pushing down on his chest, but he couldn't really feel much else besides a strange sensation of pressure against his body.

He looked back up over at Finn, noticing Hunt checking out Parker while Tex signaled the helicopters to land, the helos hitting the dirt as men dashed out the doors toward their location.

He caught Finn's eye once again, his words barely above a whisper as he spoke.

"Promise me, Finn."

Finn nodded gently before watching Puck's eyelids slide closed. He could still see the rise and fall of Puck's chest and felt some hope.

"Puck! Puckerman, stay with me! Wake up!" he shouted before he felt a hand clasp his shoulder.

"Sergeant, we'll take it from here. Another medic is here to assist you with your wounds," one of the med-evac medics assured him.

Finn shrugged the medic off, continuing to hold his friend, "Come on, Puck! Come on, open your eyes!"

"Sergeant, you need to move so we can help him! Now!"

Finn felt his body being pulled away from Puck's, feeling completely helpless as he tried to stand, his own legs collapsing in the process. Tex and another medic helped carry him to the chopper, Finn watching as Vargas and Hunt assisted two other medics in getting the unconscious Parker into the other helicopter, all of his other teammates looking bloodied and battered but still determined to help their fellow teammates out.

He focused his attention back on Puck, watching intently as a few more medics quickly loaded Puck into the helicopter, and went to work, cutting off his flak jacket and his uniform, their hands a flurry of movement as they worked together to save his best friend's life.

Just like he had saved Finn's.

Finn felt the helicopter jerk as it took off and rose toward the sky, his eyes never leaving Puck's form as he watched the medic's work, his own wounds throbbing but his mind refusing to focus on himself at the moment. He looked over his friend's form, his eyes feeling hot as he noticed the tattoo of Quinn's and their kids names over Puck's heart as his chest continued to slowly rise and fall.

All he could do was hope and pray.

Hope and pray.


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N: ** I'm so sorry this has taken so long to update. This story is very personal to me for many reasons and it's been really hard to write this and do it justice over the past few months (i.e. Memorial Day, Father's Day, etc.) so I hope you enjoy it. I hope it's not a let-down from months of waiting for an update either. Also, I tried to go through and edit this chapter but if I missed anything, I apologize. _

_Thanks to **readbetweenthesigns, Lindsey, FF2Addict, gleegirl25577, Randomly-hyper, Amherstgrl90891, 777, anon, Shananigan, f1lo2, walkingthegardengnome, cpfalmeida, Michaela, Ellii51, I'm a gleek 1994, Msjanelle32, A Amanda A, Ms. Kylie93, xoElle23, CarterIsMine, QuickSapphire, Marine04, gleeothfriends90210cccjsAMD, craftlily, and x-mermaid-sparkles-s.** Your reviews mean a lot and thank you readers for continuing to read about our journey. Sorry It's taken so long…_

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><p><strong>Chapter 29<strong>

"And then I told him to kiss my ass and I would do it my way," Santana finished, the rest of the room breaking out in laughter while Brittany playfully put her hands over Jameson's ears, the little boy giggling as he continued to play with his Lego's.

"See, this is why I think you should be going into law instead of me," Quinn replied, still laughing as she took another one of the plates Rachel had washed and handed to her to dry.

"Yeah, yeah, but then people would really start thinking I had no soul," the Latina replied, taking another sip of her wine before handing Jameson another Lego to add to his and Brittany's pirate ship.

"Like you ever really had one," Rachel joked, blowing some of the bubbles from the sink at Santana. San simply smirked and gave her a slight nod in acknowledgement, murmuring a 'Touché' in the process.

Brittany helped Jameson add a few more pieces before speaking up, "San, I actually think Quinn has a point here. I think you would make a good lawyer." Santana rolled her eyes at the comment, but Brittany continued, "No seriously, you would. I mean sure you sometimes go to that yelling place and what not, but you could slash your opponents with your vicious, vicious words…and probably win a lot."

"It would definitely depend on the case and the type of law you go into, mind you," Quinn replied, "Civil litigation, absolutely. Criminal law, possibly. Anything else requiring you to be calm and collected, like family law or contract law, probably not."

"Rude," Santana snorted, taking another pull of her wine, "I am totally capable of being calm, collected and nice." When she received three glares in her direction, she rolled her eyes again, "Ok fine, you got me there, but still I'm not sure if it's for me."

"Well, if you're interested, let me know. I could put in a good word at admissions for you," Quinn shrugged, turning back toward the sink and continuing to dry the dishes they had used for dinner before putting them away in the cabinets.

Quinn felt very grateful that her friends were able to come up from NYC and spend time with her that weekend. She loved her mom being around helping out with Jameson and she definitely appreciated the help while she was pregnant and Puck was away, but it was really good to see her friends again. Despite her achy feet and back and her super swollen stomach, the constant sarcasm and ribbing from Santana, the dry humor and jokes from Brittany and the gentle and comforting support from Rachel were all a pleasant change of pace for her and Jameson over the weekend.

That weekend was exactly what she needed: a break from the constant stress of law school and the incessant worrying about Puck's safety overseas and the progress of her baby. She was so thankful for the much needed break and she almost wished it could last until Puck made it home. It made for a very well-deserved distraction from real life, that was for sure.

She continued to dry plates and glasses with Rachel, listening to Britt and Santana exchanging barbs with one another while they played with Jameson when the doorbell rang.

"Hey San, can you get that? I'm all wet right now," Quinn asked.

"Definitely didn't need to hear that, Blondie," Santana answered, smirking up at her, "Puckerman's not even here, and you're already getting that worked up? Damn girl, pregnancy hormones much?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, you skank," Quinn replied, taking another plate from Rachel, "And answer the door, would ya?"

"Fine, fine," Santana replied, making her way toward the door.

Santana smiled back at Britt and Jameson playing at the table before pulling the front door open, the sight on the other side instantly wiping the smile off of her face and making her blood run cold.

"Mrs. Puckerman?" one of the men asked.

Santana swallowed hard as she looked over the men standing on the porch. The two Army officers standing in front of her were decked out in their full military dress uniforms, both of them clutching their official garrison caps in their hands as they stood there with stone-faces, patiently waited for her answer.

She immediately felt a tug on her heart and her stomach sink, an ominous feeling settling over her as she took the two men in. Deep down, she knew what their visit meant. She just wanted to prolong the illusion for a bit longer but knew she couldn't insulate Quinn for much longer.

She shook her head at the two men, fighting off the tears she knew were coming before answering their query.

"No," she replied, her mouth tightening as she watched their stone-faced expressions turn sympathetic, "No, she's in the kitchen."

They continued to look at her in that same unnerving way, Santana looking away briefly as she felt a lump rise in her throat.

Before she could do or say anything, Quinn's voice filtered through the small entryway.

"San, who is it?" Quinn called, rounding the corner with Rachel as the two girls giggled at their own inside joke.

Santana simply looked back at her, offering her the most supportive half-smile she could muster before she opened the door wider, allowing Quinn a view of their visitors.

Quinn smiled at Rachel as she continued to dry off the plate she was holding before looking ahead and catching Santana's on-the-verge-of-tears expression, her smile dropping from her face as she finally focused her attention on the two men standing at the door.

As soon as she registered the two Army officers standing at her front door, in full dress uniform, her heart stopped. The whole world stopped. She could hear the whooshing of blood in her ears and she felt light headed as she watched the younger of the two officers bow his head in respect, allowing the older one to speak.

"Mrs. Puckerman?"

She couldn't even nod in acknowledgement. She was frozen in place, not even registering the plate she was holding slip out of her fingers, shattering on the floor in front of her.

All she could think about is the two men standing in front of her. Their reason for visiting her this late at night.

Her heart clenched hard and she felt like she couldn't breathe, the realization hitting her like a freight train.

"No," she said, looking at the two men, shaking her head as the tears began bubbling to the surface, "No, no….NO!"

The two men crossed the threshold, making their way toward Quinn. The older of the two, Colonel McMahon, began to speak first.

"Mrs. Puckerman, it is with our deepest sympathies…"

But Quinn couldn't hear any more, cutting them off as those few words managed to stab her in the heart and twist the knife ten times over.

"NO!" she sobbed, her whole body heaving as she registered what they were telling her, "Please no!"

She felt like time stopped and her whole world began crashing around her. She never even felt her knees give out, only barely noticing Santana rush to her side and help ease her down as she knelt there and sobbed, her friend the only thing holding her up for support.

The two men continued to stand there, the younger of the two looking like he was on the verge of cracking as he tried to stay strong for the woman in front of him. But before the older of the two could speak again, Santana called out to Britt.

"Britt, will you take Jameson up to his room and put him to bed please?"

Britt rounded the corner with the little blonde boy, blowing a raspberry on the giggling boy's tummy, "Sure, what's up?" she asked before noticing the scene in front of her. She looked up at the two soldiers standing there in the entryway and felt the air around them go frigid.

"Just please," Santana pleaded with her as calmly as possible, "Take him upstairs and put him to bed."

"Yeah," the blonde replied, tears springing to her eyes as she saw her best friend sobbing amidst the broken plate remnants and noting the shocked, frozen Rachel standing up against the wall, staring at the two Army officers. She gave Santana a broken look before hustling the little boy upstairs and into his room, closing his door behind them.

Quinn continued to stare at the floor, her sobs broken up by the labored breaths she tried to take as her mind began to try and process what was happening. She looked back up at the two men, her eyes searching both of their faces.

"Please tell me this is joke," she pleaded in between sobs, "Please tell me this isn't real. That you're not really here to tell me…"

She stopped herself mid-sentence, the words stuck in her throat at the thought. She had heard stories about these visits, their presence haunting and horrifying to any military family.

But she couldn't be one of _those_ family members. This couldn't be happening to her. It was impossible. Puck was supposed to be coming home in three weeks. Their little girl was due in a month and he promised he would be there for her birth.

This couldn't be real! This couldn't be happening!

"Mrs. Puckerman," the older officer began, clutching his cap tighter in his hands as the younger officer continued to look down at his shoes, "It is with our deepest sympathies that we regret to inform you that your husband, Sergeant Noah Puckerman, was mortally wounded in a firefight yesterday in Afghanistan. He was immediately evacuated to Bagram Air Base where the medical staff did everything in their power to help him, but," he swallowed hard, looking over at Santana and Rachel before looking back at Quinn, "we lost him shortly after he arrived."

"Oh God," Quinn moaned, her whole body lurching forward as she struggled to pull in air, her breathing labored and harsh as the words she had been fearing for months, years even, spilled out of Colonel McMahon's mouth.

This didn't feel real.

Nothing felt real anymore.

Her heart pounded hard and she felt like she had to vomit, her body shaking uncontrollably as her heart shattered amidst the plate shards. Her vision went blurry and she felt like she was going to die, the shock wracking her body so severely that she no longer could control her own being.

She let out a loud sob, Santana pulling her close and cradling her as they knelt there on the ground, the broken ceramic shards digging into their knees as she fell apart.

He husband.

Her one and only.

Her soul mate.

The father of her children.

Gone.

Dead.

A not so subtle kick in her abdomen brought her back down to earth, another sob wracking her body as her little girl kicked inside the womb.

He would never get to meet her. She would never get the chance to know her father.

Jameson would never get to grow up knowing his dad.

Quinn felt another deep pang in her heart, feeling as though her entire chest cavity was collapsing in on her.

Puck was such a wonderful husband. Such an amazing father. And now he would never get to experience watching his children grow up. He would never get to be a part of their lives.

She faintly heard Santana speak up and say something but she couldn't get past the rush of blood in her ears.

The echo of their words telling her he wasn't coming home.

This can't be true. This can't be happening to her.

"I think it may be best if you come back again at another time," Santana murmured quietly to the two officers, the men shaking their heads in agreement before offering the typical, "We'll be back tomorrow to discuss everything, but call us if you need anything," and making their way out the door.

At the threshold, the younger of the two officers paused and turned back around, looking between the frozen brunette standing against the wall and the Latina on the floor, comforting a devastated Quinn.

"Mrs. Puckerman," he said quietly, Quinn glancing up at him through the tears, "I had the honor and privilege of serving with your husband during Ranger school and here at Fort Drum. He saved my six last tour in Iraq." The officer paused for a moment and swallowed hard, "He was a good guy and I only wish that someday I could be half the man he was."

Quinn nodded at him once before another sob escaped, Santana simply cradling her and letting her cry, for there was no use in trying to calm her down or telling her that everything would be alright.

Things wouldn't be alright. Her husband was gone. The father of her children was gone.

There would be no more hugs or kisses. No more "I love you's." No more waking up next to him or smiling at his jokes, fighting over the dumb little things, playing with their kids, venting about their days. All the little things that she and Puck did together came flooding back to her, her body violently shaking before her whole world felt empty.

The kicking in her abdomen continued, little Riley obviously alerted to her mom's unhappy state, but that made Quinn cry even more.

How was she supposed to do this on her own? How was she supposed to be a single mom at age 26? How was she going to explain this to her kids?

She felt like she couldn't breathe, like all the happiness had been sucked out of the world around her and the walls were closing in on her. She felt dizzy and sick at the same time. She couldn't process any more, her stomach heaving before she felt Santana and Britt help lift her up from her position on the floor and ease her over to the sink, Quinn expelling the contents of her stomach into the drain.

She couldn't do this…. She didn't think she could survive this.

It was all too much to handle right now.

x-x-x-x-x

Santana watched the two men turn to leave before focusing her attention back on her friend. Never in her life had she seen or experienced such heartbreak, such utter devastation, let alone from someone as strong and composed as Quinn. She couldn't possibly fathom how she was feeling after hearing the news that her husband wouldn't be coming home. She felt sick herself at hearing her longtime friend had been killed overseas and that she would no longer get to tease him or trade barbs with him anymore, but that was nothing compared to how her friend probably felt.

She was trying to hold herself together as best as possible knowing she needed to stay strong for Quinn's sake, but she about cracked when she watched Quinn wrap her arms around her swollen stomach, another loud sob wracking her body as she keeled forward and cried. Santana knew the news itself was bad enough, but the fact that Quinn was eight months pregnant with a little girl that would never get to meet her daddy and the fact that he would never get to watch his son grow up into the man Puck had always wanted to be had to hurt even worse. She knew how much Puck loved his family, how desperate he was to be a good father and to be there for his kids and watch them grow up, unlike his own father, and now he wouldn't get that chance.

Santana felt Britt return and watched Quinn's face go pale as her body lurched, the two girls sharing a look before they both helped her to her feet and took her into the kitchen before she could get sick on the floor.

However, Santana knew she was missing something, leaving Britt with Quinn momentarily before looking back down the hallway and finding a pale Rachel Berry. The brunette was frozen in her spot up against the wall, her eyes glued to the backs of the two retreating military officers.

"Rachel," Santana called sternly, "Just go."

Rachel turned her head toward where Santana stood in the kitchen doorway, her eyes full of shock and fear.

Santana lowered her voice before calmly repeating herself, "Just go."

Rachel swallowed hard as she watched the Latina rush back into the kitchen to tend to Quinn, her friend's muffled sobs filling the whole house. She felt rooted to the spot, like she couldn't move or say anything for fear that those two officers may be on their way over to her and Finn's house too.

But Santana was right. She needed to go after them. She needed to know.

She barely registered her feet moving, let alone her body running, toward where the two casualty assistance officers were getting ready to climb into their car. They apparently saw her coming, the two men pausing as she approached.

"I…What about…" she started, her breathing ragged as she tried to hold herself together, "My husband, Finn Hudson."

The two men shared a look before turning back to Rachel.

The tiny brunette didn't miss their exchange, her blood running cold as she finished the rest of her question, "My husband was in Noah Puckerman's unit. They were on the same team. I just… I want to know if I'm getting this same visit later."

The older of the men closed the driver's side door before rounding the back of the car and standing in front of her, clearing his throat.

"As you're probably aware, we're not at liberty to divulge too much about the mission and what happened," he began, watching as Rachel's body started to tremble, "But no, you will not be receiving this same visit from us. Several of the men in his unit were wounded, but Sergeant Puckerman was the only fatality."

All at once Rachel felt a giant wave of relief flood her body, but that was short lived. Almost as soon as it came, another wave of grief and sadness came over her, the full impact of Puck's death and the family he left behind hitting her hard.

"Thank you," she choked out, feeling guilt seep through her veins at the relief that her husband was ok, but Quinn's was not. The two men nodded and quietly returned to their vehicle, driving off and leaving Rachel standing out there on the curb as she processed everything.

Finn was ok, for the most part, but Puck wasn't. He wouldn't be walking off of that plane when they arrived home, his casket would be carried off.

Her knees buckled and she practically fell to the curb, tears flooding out of her eyes as she thought about her best friend and how she lost her husband. She thought about the little blonde boy, the three year old spitting image of his father sleeping peacefully up in his room, and how he would grow up without his father. She thought about the little girl growing in Quinn's belly and how she would never get to meet her daddy. She finally thought about Finn and how he lost his best friend.

She sat out there on the curb for what felt like hours, staring out into the darkness as she cried for the life that had been and sent up several silent prayers to whoever was listening to help them all through this trying time.

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><p>Finn looked down at the temporary wheelchair he sat in, noting the cast encasing his lower leg and the brace on his other knee, feeling completely empty. Powerless. But that feeling had nothing to do with his injuries.<p>

He looked around the cavernous cargo hold of the C-130 military transport plane, taking in the men seated near him as they felt the plane begin its final descent into Fort Drum. It had been a long twelve hour flight from their initial departure from Incerlik Air Base in Turkey, and with the exception of the occasional question here and there, their flight had been mostly silent. Nobody knew what to say.

He scanned the other four men sitting near him. Tex was sporting plenty of cuts and bruises, an eye patch covering the eye where debris from an RPG scraped his cornea. Vargas looked worse for the wear as well, the cuts and bruises peppering the skin visible on his face and hands. Hunt was the only one who looked remotely unscathed, their sniper having been lucky to have avoided most the fray, providing much needed cover across the entire battlefield, but the weariness and guilt in his eyes betrayed his true emotions. Across from him, FInn finally looked over at Parker, now conscious with his left arm in a sling from the broken collarbone and his foot in a boot as he stared straight ahead.

They all felt the plane lurch and heard the landing gear lower, preparing them for their arrival into New York. He wanted to feel excited to see Rachel. He desperately wanted to feel good about his homecoming, but his stomach churned and he immediately wanted to be anywhere else but here. Slowly, the men began to look around at each other, searching each other's faces for answers as to what they should do now.

Finn didn't want to do it, and neither did the other guys from the looks in their faces, but the space between them was just too hard to ignore. They had all tried to pretend like it wasn't real for the past few days, but the last 12 hours were some of the most miserable any of them had ever endured. As if on command, they each looked down at the barrier between them, perched on a small stand in the middle of the cargo hold.

The flag draped casket lying on the floor of the plane.

Their fallen brother.

The reason Finn was still sitting there but his best friend wasn't.

Finn quickly looked away, not for fear of crying in front of his fellow comrades but because he simply couldn't handle it. He still didn't believe it himself.

His best friend, the kid he had grown up with from the age of five, was gone.

The slight lurch of the plane hitting the runway startled all of them a bit, the plane taxiing for a few more moments before coming to a halt at their intended location.

Finn thought he knew what to expect once the ramp descended from the rear of the aircraft but he wasn't sure if he was ready to face what was waiting for them. He knew he wasn't ready to face Quinn.

The ramp began to lower slowly and Finn glanced over at Parker, watching his commanding officer brush a tear away before clearing his throat and composing himself. Hunt ran his hands over his face before standing, Tex and Vargas slowly following suit. Once the ramp hit the ground, Tex and Vargas made their way out onto the tarmac first before Parker hobbled his way down as well, accompanied by Hunt helping to wheel Finn down the ramp.

The sunlight hit him hard, causing him to squint as Hunt wheeled him into position, Finn swallowing hard as he looked up and saw Quinn and the rest of her family standing next to the Casualty Assistance Officers. Judy Fabray stood next to her holding an unusually calm Jameson, the little boy resting his head against his grandma's shoulder as she had her other arm slung around Mrs. Puckerman's shoulders, comforting the already crying woman. He spotted Rachel, Santana and Britt standing behind the downcast Quinn, and had to look away once again, not ready to face his own wife either.

The honor guard held their flags as another group of immaculately dressed soldiers ascended the ramp into the plane, returning shortly thereafter bearing the flag draped casket. Attention was called by General Hall, the base executive officer at Fort Drum, and everyone snapped to attention as best they could.

Finn felt his heart rip out of his chest once he realized he couldn't quite stand and pay his respects to his friend as the pallbearers made their way down the ramp carrying the casket. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Quinn fall apart, slumping into Santana as the casket was carried slowly and ceremoniously toward the waiting hearse.

All of the men remained at attention until the casket was safely secured in the back of the hearse and the black car drove off toward the base morgue, where the staff would prepare Puck's body for burial and dress him in his dress uniform, complete with the second Purple Heart medal he earned during the past deployment.

The five remaining men watched as the hearse drove out of sight, each of them quietly taking their leave and going their separate ways.

Finn knew he should be more excited to see his wife, but under the circumstances, he couldn't muster the strength to even smile. As bad as he felt about it, he accepted a brief kiss from Rachel, murmuring a quick 'hello' before asking Hunt to take him away for their final debriefing. He felt guilty at the look of rejection on her face at the brush off, but there was so much more to it.

He wasn't ready to face anyone besides his own team mates just yet. And he could barely face them as it was…

After their debriefing and out-processing, each of them men slowly gathered their things and left. Tex, Hunt and Vargas headed straight for the nearest bar while Parker left with his wife.

Finn was the last one out of the conference room, having collected his own belongings and making sure he had the few items Puck entrusted him with before wheeling himself out. He made his way to the front where he found Rachel waiting quietly for him, his wife offering him a small smile before helping him into the car.

While there was plenty to catch up on and lots to discuss after a long eight months apart, the ride home was completely silent, neither spouse daring to speak a word.

* * *

><p>After a long week of dealing with the Casualty Assistance Officers and making arrangements to transport Puck's body back to Lima to be buried according to his wishes in his will, Quinn finally had a chance to take a moment for herself. It felt like she was just going through the motions, doing what was expected of her without really thinking about what was going on around her.<p>

Once Puck was ready for transport back to Lima, Quinn packed herself and Jameson up for the trip back home. Thankfully, Mrs. Puckerman was handling most of the funeral arrangements and had a little help from Mrs. Hudson-Hummel and Mr. Schue in planning the pre-burial viewing and the wake, the military having taken the lead on the burial itself.

On top of the stress from taking time out from school and attempting to figure out what to do with their home at Fort Drum, since now that Puck was gone, they could no longer live on base (not that she wanted to stay any longer anyway), Jameson had been particularly fussy as well, adjusting poorly to his new surroundings and acting out. Quinn had also spent a good chunk of the past few days speaking with well wishers and other family and friends who had come into town, putting on a brave face and helping out where she could, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized she hadn't ever really fully come to terms with everything that was going on.

After putting Jameson down for bed, she made her way into her old, childhood room and crawled on top of her bed, looking up at the ceiling and allowing herself to pause and reflect on everything that had happened in the last few days.

Her whole world had been turned upside down and she didn't quite know where to start in attempting to process it all. But one glaring point stuck out above the rest.

Puck was gone. The troublemaker she first met at age six. The boy she fell in love with at age sixteen. The man she pledged herself to at age twenty. The man she had two children with, with a third on the way. The father of her kids, her lover, her best friend, her husband…gone.

She felt her throat constrict and she hugged her belly tightly, wishing for this to all be a dream. Wishing that she could just wake up from this nightmare and look him in those deep chocolate eyes again.

The first strangled sob escaped her throat, several more following as she thought back on their lives together. How amazing he was with Beth and Jameson. How much he loved Riley already and how excited he had been to meet her. How fun and playful he always had been, making their love and life fun. How strong and committed he was to their family and the military, to his convictions and his beliefs. How great of a friend he always had been and how he was always quick to help others in need.

As the memories washed over her, she finally allowed herself to fall apart, sobbing for her late husband late into the night.

* * *

><p>The day of the viewing had arrived and nobody in the entire town of Lima was in a good mood at all. In fact, once word got out that their local fallen hero was returning home for burial, the entire town decided to make it a day for memorial…and once that news hit the airwaves, the infamous and much detested Westboro Baptist Church made it known that they would be planning on protesting his funeral. The people of Lima had heard of them before and knew what their mission was: to protest the military and spread their messages of hate and intolerance.<p>

Hunt, Tex and Vargas were incensed that they decided to show up here wielding their signs saying everything from "Fag Army" to "Thank God for IED's" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" to "God Hates You," so much so, they had already informed Parker they would kick their asses if they came anywhere near the ceremony.

However, Parker couldn't do much, other than remind them that unfortunately they had a Constitutional right to speak their mind and it was the military who had fought and won American's their freedom to do so. Yet, they were also a bit relieved to receive word that the patriot guard and their motorcycle motorcade would be there as well, parking their motorcycles on the street and revving their engines whenever the protestors decided to shout. Hearing motorcycle engines would be better than hearing their hatred and nonsense, so they all decided that would have to do.

The four men finished getting dressed in their dress blues before loading up in their rental vehicle and making their way to the funeral parlor where they were holding the final viewing.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Finn had just finished getting dressed for the viewing, Finn struggling to pull his pants on over his cast and brace but refusing help from his wife, not wanting to feel completely helpless…well, at least even more helpless than he already felt.

After a last adjustment of his tie and a deep intake of breath, Carole Hudson-Hummel helped her son out to the car where the rest of the family waited silently, dreading the events of the next few days. Rachel gave his hand a small squeeze when he was finally seated in the back seat, Finn tightening his jaw and breaking eye contact with her to stare out the window before giving her a squeeze in return.

Once they arrived, they were greeted by a plethora of familiar faces. Every one of Puck's friends from high school was there, as well as Mr. Schuester and Mrs. Pillsbury, all flying in from around the country to pay their respects as well as offer their support to Quinn and the rest of their family.

Finn accepted hugs from Mercedes, Tina, Britt and Santana as well as handshakes and claps on the back from all of the rest of his guy friends. He tried to be polite but now was neither the time nor the place to reminisce and catch up. Not when they would all be saying their final goodbyes to someone who had played such a huge part in all of their lives growing up. They had all grown up together and shared so much together that it was almost surreal that they were back together again…yet the circumstances for their reunion were incredibly sobering.

As if on cue, Judy Fabray's luxury SUV pulled into one of the front parking spots. Finn felt his throat grow tight and his eyes burn as he watched a somber Quinn step gracefully out of the passenger side of the car before opening the back door and hoisting her three year old son out of his car seat, the boy situated awkwardly astride her very swollen abdomen.

Santana quickly wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before she walked across the parking lot toward Quinn, stretching out her arms and taking Jameson from her to lighten her load. Quinn looked up and saw all of her childhood friends standing there waiting for her, offering them all a small, sad smile before politely making her way around the group and thanking them for coming.

A few moments later, a military official walked up to the group and informed them the viewing was now open, people making their way inside to pay their last respects before the burial the following morning.

x-x-x-x-x-x

Quinn had put on a brave face all day, shaking people's hands and graciously accepting their condolences as best she could, but she had yet to make it past the entryway of the funeral parlor. She still felt like this wasn't quite real; like this all was just one big dream. Or nightmare.

Judy had been keeping Jameson occupied as people passed into the viewing room but she had yet to even glance in its direction, not sure if she would ever be ready to face what was on the other side of the doors. Mrs. Puckerman and Puck's little sister had already gone in and said their goodbyes, both women in tears as they walked out and both now sitting with each other holding hands as they spoke quietly to a few people they knew, both having to wipe away tears on several occasions. Their other friends had made it through the viewing as well, mingling around and speaking to people they all knew as well before a few of them took off for the evening to get some much needed rest for the next day.

Puck's team had also already taken their turns as well, Quinn noting that Finn took all of ten seconds to say goodbye to his best friend before walking out of the room and outside to get some air, his face red and his eyes clouded with moisture. Rachel followed him outside but he seemed like he needed some time to be alone, taking a seat on the curb before Rachel came back inside and took a seat next to Mrs. Puckerman.

Quinn felt like she should be a good host and go out and see how Finn was doing, but something about the way he looked leaving and the way retreated away from him just now told her he probably needed his space. And frankly, she wasn't sure she was ready to face him just yet either. She had so many questions and wanted to know what happened, and gauging from his reaction he knew exactly what had happened to Puck, but deep down she knew she wasn't ready to hear the answers just yet.

However, Quinn just about lost it when Shelby Corcoran walked through the doors of the funeral parlor, holding hands with a clearly distraught Beth as they made their way toward where Quinn stood. As soon as her daughter saw her, she briefly looked up at her adoptive mother before practically launching herself at her Quinn, the two of them embracing and holding each other, Beth sniffling lightly as her birth mother held her tight.

After a few more exchanged pleasantries between herself and several other guests, Beth clutching her side the entire time while Shelby spoke with Mrs. Puckerman, Quinn saw her mom make her way toward her, Jameson in tow.

"Sweetheart," Judy began, placing a comforting hand on Quinn's back, "It's time."

Quinn felt her chest constrict at those two words, the little girl in her stomach kicking furiously as if she too knew what was about to happen. She glanced down at Beth, who was staring up at her with tears streaking down her cheeks, before squeezing her hand and nodding at Shelby. Shelby held her hand out for Beth to take, the younger blonde turning back briefly to look at Quinn before making her way into the viewing room to say goodbye to her dad.

Judy gave her daughter a soft smile before removing her hand and taking Jameson toward the viewing room, stopping at the door and waiting for Quinn to follow.

Quinn didn't want to go in. She didn't want to see him lying there, because then the words that had come out of Casualty Assistance Officers' mouths would become reality. That he really was dead.

She clenched her teeth and looked up at the ceiling, trying to fight off the impending tears for just a little while longer. She rubbed a soothing hand over her belly and straightened her dress out before looking back to her mother and her son, the little boy cuddled against Judy's shoulder as Quinn made her way toward where they stood, taking a deep breath before entering the viewing room.

There in the front of the room, in a simple yet beautiful dark oak casket, lay the body of her husband.

His casket was surrounded by a few tasteful flower arrangements, a large official Army photo displayed at one end with a photo of him, Quinn, Beth and Jameson posing on the dock at the lake just outside of Lima the summer prior to his latest, and last, deployment.

Quinn watched as her daughter walked up to the open casket and run her fingers down Puck's scraped up cheek, tears welling in her eyes as she murmured a few words to him. She bit her lip, just like Quinn always did when she was upset, before she leaned forward and hugged him, kissing his cheek and telling him she loved him before backing away with Shelby. Shelby held her sobbing daughter close and led her out to the entryway to give the rest of the family some space to say goodbye, Quinn biting her own lip as she watched her daughter fall apart.

A squeak from the front of the room brought her attention back, looking over at where her mom stood with Jameson, the little boy squirming hard in Judy's arms as he reached forward toward where Puck lay.

"Daddy," the little boy squealed as he flailed his arms toward his dad, "Daddy!"

The brave face Quinn had managed to keep up all day shattered as she watched her son struggle against his grandmother.

"Daddy wake up!" he cried again, tears streaking down his face as his father lay there unresponsive, "Wake up daddy! Missed you!"

The tears began to flood Quinn's vision and her heart pounded in her ears as she watched Judy lower Jameson toward Puck's body, the little boy clutching his father's neck as he hugged him, crying out for him to wake up.

After a few minutes, Judy was able to pull Jameson away from his father, the little boy screaming for his mom and dad as his teary-eyed grandmother led him away, leaving Quinn alone in the room with her husband. She made her way toward his open casket, his body clothed in his dress blues and his expression peaceful as he lay there.

Her chest felt tight and a lump formed in her throat as looked down at her husband, her fingers weaving through his short locks before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on his lips. A stray tear splashed against his cheek as she pulled away and cupped his jaw, Quinn wanting to memorize every feature on his face.

"Hi baby," Quinn began, tears falling freely down her cheeks as she spoke to her husband, "I, uh… I told myself I shouldn't cry today. That you wouldn't want to see me cry because you hate it when I cry, but I can't help it. "

She let out a small sob as she ran her hand down his chest, straightening the tie Jameson pushed out of place before speaking again.

"But I'll be honest, I feel like I'm being selfish. I want you for myself and our kids. I want to you to be here with me again, and to hold me and tell me everything is going to be ok. I want you be here with you son and your daughters. I want you to be able to show Jameson what it's like to be a man, teach him everything he needs to know. I want you to be here to watch your daughter's go to prom or even get married, make sure the men they choose will be worthy of them. Hell, I just want you here to meet your daughter when she's born," she sobbed, gently taking his hand and holding it up against her belly, Riley kicking against her father's hand, "But I know that's selfish of me. Truth is I'm not sure I'm strong enough to do this on my own."

Quinn wouldn't find out until later, but several people stood vigil in the doorway, Finn finally cracking and allowing a few tears to flow upon hearing that. He thought back to the day he watched the medics work on Puck in the helicopter, the sight of Quinn, Jameson, Beth and Riley's names tattooed on his chest over his heart, his own chest constricting as he watched the wife of his best friend, the mother of Finn's own godchildren, mourn over the man he had known since he was five. His best friend. The man that had saved his life. He couldn't take it anymore, tears cascading down his cheeks as he turned on his heel and walked into the men's restroom, locking himself in there and letting himself fall apart on his own.

Quinn took a few deep breaths, intertwining her fingers with his as she placed her free hand over his heart, "But the other part of me knew the risks of your job and your lifestyle when I married you. You love our country and I've seen how dedicated you are to the Army, to your men, and your passion and commitment is astounding, staggering. You were always amazing to me, I think that's half of the reason I fell for you in the first place. Your confidence, your sense of humor, your charm and your wit," she smiled, "And that silky voice and your guitar skills didn't hurt either."

"I remember that morning before your first deployment, when I woke up and you were strumming your guitar in the corner. The morning you sang to me then asked me to marry you, that was one of the happiest days of my life, knowing that we got to spend the rest of our lives together. To finally have the family we wanted for so long. I've known you since we were six, I fell in love with you when we were sixteen, I pledged to spend the rest of my life loving you when I was twenty and we started our own family when we were twenty-two. I've spent my whole life with you in it and I'm not sure how to live without you. Without your smartass comments, without your unending support and love, without your smile or your incredible daddy skills with the kids."

"I need you Puck, and I love you so much. I just don't know how to say goodbye. I don't want to say goodbye. So I'm going to say I'll see you later, because I know in my heart that I will love you forever and I want to spend whatever is left of eternity after this life with you. I want you to know that the kids will know who you were and will know everything about their dad and what you did. They'll be so proud of their dad and I'll make sure they will always remember you and your memory. I just wish you could have met your daughter. I know she'll be beautiful and I'm hoping she has your eyes and smile. Jameson is already your spitting image, besides the blonde hair, and I think he'll be a little stinker like you were but I'm so thankful that he's just like you. That Beth is just like you. That Riley will be part of you. I thank God every day that we have, or will have, three beautiful children and that I get to spend forever loving these perfect little people you and I created. Your memory lives on in them and I know Jameson will be proud to be able to pass your name on to his children as well."

Quinn's chest heaved as she continued to cry, tears falling freely over his uniform as she tried to brush them away. She clutched his hand, feeling the hard band of his wedding ring on his left hand, thankful the Army was able to recover it from his belongings. She kissed his gloved hand over the ring, tears spilling down her cheeks, making her slightly thankful Santana insisted on waterproof mascara or she would be making a mess all over his pristine uniform.

She sucked in a deep breath, swallowing the hard lump in her throat, her emotions taking over, "Puck…Noah, I… I don't know how to function without you. I don't know how to parent our kids without you. I don't know how to go on with my life, our families' lives without you. I know that God has a plan for everyone and I wish with all my heart and soul that His plan was for you to be with us, but I know He's got different plans."

"But I will tell you something that has never changed, and will never change, I swear to you. I promised my heart and my soul to you when I married you and I will honor that promise until the day I die. I love you Noah, and I always will," she murmured, leaning down and kissing his lips once more, gasping a few times as everything hit her all at once, before kissing him once more and pulling back, admiring his chiseled features.

Quinn stepped back a few paces, sobs wracking her body as she stared at her husband's lifeless body. She felt her whole world spinning, not sure where the hell it would stop so she could catch her breath and finally process everything that had happened in the past five days, but at this point she felt helpless. Like she couldn't breathe. Like her heart stopped beating.

He was gone forever.

The realization of his passing finally washed over Quinn, another sob wracking her body as her own body crumpled to the floor as she cried for her husband and their broken family that now existed. She took another deep breath, trying to inhale much needed oxygen but it felt like her body was rebelling, her chest cavity refusing to let air in.

After a few moments of struggling on her own, her face in her hands, Quinn felt a tug on her arm, a little blonde boy crawling into her embrace as she cried. Jameson hugged his mom as Quinn finally looked up, noting the look of sorrow in Judy and Mrs. Puckerman's eyes as they stood at the door watching her. Jameson clutched the front of her dress as he burrowed further into her embrace, the little boy crying silently with his mom.

Outside the viewing room, Beth looked up at Shelby, watching the whole scene unfold as her own birth family fell apart in front of her father's casket, her little brother clinging to Quinn's chest like it was his own lifeline. A teary-eyed Shelby nodded down at her daughter, gently pushing Beth toward the door, the young girl's legs taking over as she walked into the viewing room to be with her family.

Quinn clutched Jameson close to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably. She heard a slight movement in front of her and as soon as Quinn looked up from her spot and saw Beth approaching, tears in her eyes, Quinn opened up her arms once again.

Beth sat down on the ground next to Quinn and wrapped her arms around her mom and Jameson, patting lightly on Quinn's swollen stomach as she embraced her family.

Quinn enveloped her son and her daughter in a tight embrace, her hand lovingly falling on her bump as they sat there and cried together. They mourned the life that was, the life that could have been as they sat vigil in front of Puck's casket, praying that he would make it to heaven and each sending up prayers that they too would be ok eventually.

* * *

><p><em>I'm sorry.<em>

_It's a pretty heavy story for me and I decided to add another chapter and an epilogue to round everything out. This is a very personal story to me and I wanted to do it justice, so I apologize for the delay in updating and I'm sorry I'm ending this chapter here. We still have another two chapters to go, so I hope you'll stick with me for that too. Thank you._


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: **_Thank you to all of you who continue to read and support this story. A big thanks to __**Maia, rhyalovesglee, Sadie, teambronte, RAGML, guest, littleredwritinggleek, ff101, zikkiroxh2o, Shananigan, Guest, MsKylie93, readbetweenthesigns, GleekFreak13, beastielou98, yozo, miss agron, 777, A Amanda A, cpfalmeida, FF2Addict, Weasley-Potter08, andsoitis2, x-Mermaid-sparkles-x, Columbia R0se, wani, gleegirl2577, tinie2030, Msjanelle32, HopeCoppice, and Ellii51. **__Thirty-one reviews is amazing and I appreciate all of your kind words. You have no idea how much I appreciate all of your support._

_As for the **Guest** who left me a review earlier today, I would normally apologize for my ending of the last chapter being so "horrible" that it "made [you] sick," but in all honesty, I can't do that. Normally, I would PM you and ask why it made you so sick that you refuse to finish reading the last few chapters, but you signed in anonymously so I can't contact you and offer a better explanation or ask why you were so bothered by it. I'm an attorney so I'm all for people's right to free speech and their right to their own opinion but it's a little disheartening to hear that the ending to the chapter was so horrible that it made you sick. I get that war and death and people mourning is hard to read, believe me, I lived it. This is a true story, my (late) husband and my story, so I get how difficult it may be to swallow, especially when people are all looking for a happy ending. Unfortunately, life isn't always the way we hope it will be and not everything ends happily. So, if my family's story and the end of my husband's life was so horrible it made you sick, then the only thing I can apologize for is the fact that this story/my writing didn't meet your expectations of a happy ending._

_By now, you may be wondering what I'm talking about so for the rest of you, I will offer a more thorough explanation at the bottom of the chapter. Just please bear with me. _

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30<strong>

After witnessing Puck's whole family mourn over his body and hearing Quinn's declaration of love and devotion to her husband and their children the day before, Finn had never felt worse in his life. Each time he glanced down at his own uniform, his stomach twisted into knots, threatening to make him physically sick if he thought about it any longer.

He twisted and turned in bed the entire night, unable to achieve a wink of sleep as the memories of that day in the desert village continued to haunt every his every minute, whether asleep or awake. Finally, around 4am, he had enough, climbing out of bed and ignoring Rachel's pleas for him to come back before pulling on his workout clothes and lacing up a running shoe on his uninjured leg. He carefully crutched his way down the front steps and simply hobbled as fast as he could, hoping he could lose himself in the burn of his lungs or the ache in his muscles, even if it was just for an hour.

But as he continued to make his way through town, he started to believe he would never escape this hell he was trapped in. Nobody else understood how he felt. They couldn't possibly know what it was like to be there and watch the life fade out of your best friend's eyes as he died.

His feet continued to pound the pavement unevenly, his crutches scraping against the ground as he went, his eyes scanning the surrounding area as he watched the Fabray's mansion fly by him, then the Puckerman's home. He didn't even realize the direction he was running until he passed the funeral home, ultimately letting himself rest as he slowed to a stop in front of the Lima cemetery. He saw a few groundskeepers out and about already, several making preparations on what looked like a new site on the backside of a gentle-sloping hill that overlooked part of the town and the forest to the east.

Finn couldn't explain what came over him but he felt his body propelling itself forward on its own, his legs moving in the direction of the workers.

Before he knew what hit him, he stood in front of a freshly prepared grave site, a plain white tombstone etched with simple lettering.

_Noah J. Puckerman  
><em>_S SGT US Army  
><em>_June 19 1984  
><em>_Sep 15 2009  
><em>_Silver Star  
><em>_Purple Heart  
><em>_Afghanistan  
><em>_Beloved Father, Husband, Son, Brother and Friend_

Finn never felt his legs give way until he was already on his knees, staring at the headstone to his right. The groundskeepers figured something was going on but they gave Finn his space, backing away and giving him some time at the site.

He placed his hand over his friend's name, feeling the cool marble under his fingertips as he traced each letter and number.

"I'm so sorry, Puck," he murmured, placing his forehead against the side of the stone slab, "I'm so sorry."

After spending a few more moments staring at the grave marker where he would be returning to this afternoon for the funeral, Finn picked himself up and trudged home slowly, his battle injuries bothering him even more after the exertion. He crutched past the elementary school where they met and then past the high school where their friendship had taken some ups and downs but had solidified them as friends for life by the time graduation rolled around. He joined the Army with him and soon they were brothers in arms, a bond greater than any service member could ever truly express to a civilian. And now his brother was gone.

He ignored the questions from Rachel about where he had been, slinking into the bathroom and showering, taking his time as he let everything sink in before finishing up and drying himself off, his gaze lingering on the freshly pressed Army dress uniform hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Finn simply glared at the garment, not wanting to put it on and rehash ever single feeling and emotion again this afternoon, but he knew he needed to suck it up and do this for his friend. He owed it to Puck.

Once he had pulled his uniform on and was satisfied with the placement of all of his decorations and adornments on his jacket, he exited the bathroom to finish getting ready. He had just finished brushing his teeth when he noticed Rachel standing quietly behind him in a long black dress, her face etched with confusion and hurt at his behavior after returning home.

"Finn, we need to talk," she began, walking up to him slowly.

"No we don't," he spit out quickly, putting his toothbrush away before turning around abruptly.

"Yes, we do," she replied more forcefully, "Honey, I know you're hurting. This isn't easy on any of us but we can't start to heal until you've let me in. Please, talk to me."

"There is nothing to talk about," he replied, moving past her toward where his shoes sat on the ground.

"Finn, please don't do this," she pleaded, "Please let me help."

"Help me with what, Rachel?" he snapped, roughly tying his shoelaces, "What could you possibly help me with, huh? Help me bring Puck back? Because newsflash Rach, HE'S DEAD! AND HE'S NEVER COMING BACK!"

Rachel's eyes began to water as Finn stood and turned toward the window, his whole body shaking with sadness and rage and hurt and anger, emotions he wasn't particularly used to dealing with let alone handling all at once. He stood there quietly for a few minutes shaking his head as he stared at his shoe and the cast encasing his other foot. Rachel began to cry softly as she watched her husband in quiet contemplation, the pain practically radiating off of his body.

"It should have been me," he admitted quietly, almost as if he was talking to himself, before turning back toward his wife, "It should have been me in that casket, Rachel. Not him."

Rachel's eyes shot open in surprise, the tiny brunette wiping her eyes before responding, "Finn, what do you mean? Things like this…they're nobody's fault."

"But it was my fault," he replied, his voice shaking as the emotions overtook his body, "It should have been me, they were trying to take me but he had to run out there to get me. I told him to stop and to leave me there, but he didn't." Finn's voice broke as the first of many tears began to run down his face, "He didn't listen. Puck—he kept dragging me away, even after they shot him."

"Finn, baby," she began, but never got to finish.

"NO, don't you get it? He died pulling me and Parker out," he shouted angrily, his voice tight and his vision blurred, "It should have been me, not him! He had a family and a wife and two kids with one more on the way! He'll never get to meet his new daughter BECAUSE OF ME! BECAUSE HE DECIDED TO SAVE ME!"

Finn staggered back to the bed and sat down, his head in his hands as he sobbed, leaving Rachel standing there in shock, silently crying as she watched her husband fall apart. Slowly she approached the bed and sat down next to him, making sure to give him some space, but wanting him to know she was still there with him.

After a few minutes of silently crying together, Finn finally looked back up at his wife, "I was the one holding him at the end. He said his last words to me. I literally watched him take his last breath. I watched him die. And for what? To save me?"

He shook his head as he stared at his hands. "Rachel, I love you. You know I do," he continued, his voice cracking with emotion as he choked back another sob, "But if I could trade places with him, I would in a heartbeat."

Rachel felt another sob wrack her own body as she thought about a life without Finn, his words stinging a little, but she pushed it back and offered him a soothing hand against his back. She couldn't possibly imagine the guilt and pain and confusion Finn was feeling at that moment, but despite her own pain and confusion, she knew she needed to be there for him no matter what. This afternoon was going to be rough, to say the least, and they were all going to need each other for support to make it through.

x-x-x-x-x-x

* * *

><p>The caravan of limousines, town cars and vehicles of other friends and family members wove down the streets of Lima, Quinn almost breaking down on several occasions as they passed multitudes of their neighbors and members of the Lima community lining the streets to pay their respects and to honor their fallen son. It still didn't feel quite real to her, like this wasn't really happening and it was all just a bad dream.<p>

But she knew that wasn't the case. He wasn't coming home and it absolutely killed her inside.

The trip to the cemetery was mostly silent, save for a few comments from Jameson along the way, and Quinn was quite thankful for that. The silence was a nice change as she felt too mentally and emotionally exhausted to answer any questions or hold any sort of conversation.

Once they arrived at the cemetery, however, it was a completely different story. The Westboro Baptist Church members were lined up across the road protesting, holding up signs printed with phrases like "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "God Hates Army Fags." Judy and Santana saw Quinn blanch at the protesters, Santana flipping them off while Tex and Vargas both threatened to shoot the bastards if they kept it up during the funeral service.

But before they could say or do anything further, the sounds of motorcycles rumbling caught their attention, a whole cavalry of bikers from the self proclaimed "Patriot Guard" crested the hill and parked in the street between the protesters and the funeral procession, blocking out a majority of the yelling and jeers. Tex, Parker, Vargas and Hunt all thanked them as they walked past and Quinn offered a sad smile as her own thank you, the men and women standing proud to pay their own respects as well. Nobody knew why they showed up to protest, but Quinn was thankful for the Patriot Guard's presence, as it would be much more pleasant to hear the revving of motorcycle engines than it would be to hear those wack-jobs yelling that her husband deserved to die for serving in the military.

The general in charge of running Fort Drum, General Miller, was on hand to usher the crowd of people into their seats, paying special attention to following specific military protocol as he lead the families toward their seats in the front row. Once everyone was in their place, Tex, Vargas, Hunt, Parker, Finn and Lt. Colonel Mitchell were all called to attention, the six men snapping upright as they followed the guidance and direction of a member of the Fort Drum Honor Guard. They marched, or in Finn's case hobbled, slowly toward the rear of the hearse that carried Puck's body, stopping momentarily to offer a slow, respectful salute before getting into position to carry their friend's casket to his final resting place.

Their paces slow and steady, their movements carefully measured as they walked toward the platform that would lower Puck's body into the ground, easing him onto the lift before snapping back to attention, rendering another salute before the men were lead off to their own seats. General Miller took to the podium and offered a few words of welcome and his condolences to the family and friends of the fallen before glancing down at his program notes and speaking once more.

"It was Sergeant Puckerman's wishes, if the situation ever arose, that his friends would perform at his memorial service. I would like to invite them to the front at this time to honor those wishes," he explained, nodding at Mr. Schuester as he took his seat.

Mr. Schuester took that as his signal, standing and buttoning his suit jacket as the rest of the former members of the glee club made their way to the front… all except Finn, who remained standing with the rest of his unit, his gaze locked on the flag draped casket in front of him.

Artie strummed a few chords on the guitar, Quinn recognizing the tune immediately, causing her to clutch tighter to her son. Beth wove her hand into one of Quinn's as well, the smaller blond unable to contain her tears as Mr. Schuester and the boys started to sing, the rest of the glee club girls offering background harmony.

"_If you're reading this, my momma's sitting there,  
><em>_Looks like I only got a one way ticket over here.  
><em>_Sure wish I could give you one more kiss,  
><em>_And war was just a game we played when we were kids.  
><em>_I'm laying down my gun, I'm hanging up my boots.  
><em>_I'm up here with God and we're both watching over you."_

Quinn had been trying so hard to keep it all together for her family today, thinking she had cried herself out of tears over the past several days and especially the day prior at the wake. But as soon as the song started and she heard that Puck was the one who requested their friends sing this particular song if he didn't return, her lip started quivering and the tears began welling in her eyes.

"_So lay me down, in that open field out on the edge of town,  
><em>_And know my soul, is where my momma always prayed that it would go.  
><em>_And if you're reading this, I'm already home."_

Quinn heard Mrs. Puckerman let out a strangled sob, his sister clutching her arm as she let herself cry for her son. Beth tightened her grip on Quinn's hand, the older blonde slinging an arm around her oldest child and pulling her close. But she wasn't quite prepared for how hard the next few verses would hit home, her body heaving with silent sobs as if the words in the song were written specifically for her.

"_If you're reading this, halfway around the world,  
><em>_I won't be there to see the birth of our little girl.  
><em>_I hope she looks like you, I hope she fights like me,  
><em>_Stand up for the innocent and the weak._

_I'm laying down my gun, I'm hanging up my boots,  
><em>_Tell dad I don't regret that I followed in his shoes.  
><em>_So lay me down, in that open field out on the edge of town,  
><em>_And know my soul, is where my momma always prayed that it would go.  
><em>_And if you're reading this, I'm already home."_

Finn felt his whole body begin to shake, his vision blurred as he continued to try and fight the tears. However, as soon as he felt Parker pat him on the shoulder, his silent permission to mourn his friend, the heavy drops slowly started to fall. He fought to keep his expression neutral, but he was failing miserably, finally succumbing to the grief and guilt he felt.

"_If you're reading this, there's gonna come a day,  
><em>_When you'll move on and find someone else, and that's ok.  
><em>_Just remember this, I'm in a better place,  
><em>_Where soldiers live in peace, and angels sing amazing grace.  
><em>

_So lay me down, in that open field out on the edge of town,  
><em>_And know my soul, is where my momma always prayed that it would go.  
><em>_If you're reading this, oh if you're reading this, I'm already home."_

The guitar strummed out the last few notes before the group went silent, all quietly returning back to their seats, most with tears forming in their eyes. Even though they knew Puck requested the song in his will and they each had time to prepare, none of them were prepared for how it would feel when every line and every word resonated so deeply to the situation.

Quinn was beside herself as she clutched her children, little Riley kicking like crazy again, almost as if she could sense people were thinking about her. Everything felt so raw to Quinn. Her heart beat fast and tears streamed down her cheeks, but she couldn't bring herself to look back up at his casket. Not just yet.

General Miller returned to the podium and thanked the performers as they returned to their seats, inviting Captain Parker to the podium to deliver the eulogy. The unit leader stood and made his way up front, clearing his throat as he addressed the mourners.

"You know, over the last few days I've tried to think of what to say to describe Staff Sergeant Noah Puckerman and what he meant to me as both a soldier and a friend, but I've been struggling to actually put words on paper. So I'm just going to wing it and speak from my heart. I had the honor of serving with Puck for the last seven years, but more importantly I had the privilege of being able to call him my friend. He was a good man and a great soldier. He embodied the very tenants the Army and the rest of the Armed Services live day in day out: duty, honor, country. But in order to even begin to partially describe Puck, you would need to add on a few more words to that list: loyalty, commitment, courage, love, family, to name a few."

He paused and took a moment to look around before continuing, "But Puck was far more than a few descriptive words. As many of you all knew, Noah Puckerman was a man of action. He joined the Army to make a better life for himself and to fight for this great country, to fight for those who could not fight for themselves, and to liberate the oppressed. And as a man of action, Staff Sergeant Noah Puckerman became a hero."

He took another deep breath and swallowed hard, sneaking a glance at General Miller, the superior officer giving him a curious look as Capt. Parker spoke, "The Army has actually asked me not to discuss the nature of our last mission, the events of which lead to Sergeant Puckerman's sacrifice are deemed classified for the most part. However, despite the warning and the possible repercussions, I feel his memory would not be properly honored without explaining what happened that day," he paused once again, General Miller gently clearing his throat in warning. Captain Parker ignored the threat and continued, "And I feel you all should know that his actions that day, his bravery and courage under fire, are the reason why Sergeant Hudson and I are still here today."

Startled by the admission, Quinn glanced up quickly, watching as Finn bristled at the mention of his name, silent tears beginning to form in his eyes once again as he kept his gaze focused on the flag draped casket. She felt herself swallow hard, focusing her attention back on Captain Parker and intently listening on what he had to say, hoping whatever he had to say gave her a little more closure on what happened than what the Army Casualty Assistance Officers had to give her. She was thankful for their help during such a trying time, but she still wanted a few more answers. She needed answers.

"Everything started off fine, just like every other mission we had embarked on over the three tours we served. We maybe could have used a bit more intel on the amount of insurgents or the number of weapons they were harboring, but realistically, that was our job to obtain that day. We snuck into the village and executed our mission when we ran into trouble on the way out," Parker explained, "Sergeant Hudson and I became separated from the rest of the team as we started to take on heavy fire, the two of us taking cover behind a truck. Our time was running short and we needed to get out of there so we made a break for it when we had a chance, the rest of the team covering us as we went. We had only made it a few steps when an RPG slammed into the truck we had been taking cover behind, the explosion sending the two of us flying out into the open."

He cleared his throat and took another deep breath, his voice thick as he continued, "I uh – I was knocked unconscious on impact, so everything that I know about what happened afterwards is from our after action report and reports of the other guys on the team. But from what I understand, what I know as both a soldier and as a man, is that what Sergeant Puckerman did thereafter was nothing short of heroic."

"After the blast, Sergeant Hudson and I were both exposed, lying wounded in the middle of the square. Two insurgents came out of their position of cover and tried to grab us with the assumed intent to take us prisoner or use us as a shield against our own men. Sergeant Puckerman saw what was happening and immediately took action, asking for someone to cover him while he left his own position of cover to come help us. He took out a total of six insurgents on his own on his way to our location before lowering his weapon and grabbing the two of us, dragging us to safety before our air support could arrive."

Parker paused and took a shaky breath, swallowing hard before continuing, "In doing so, he exposed himself to direct enemy fire. Ignoring his own wounds and demonstrating exceptional courage and composure, he continued to pull us out of the line of fire. In his final act of bravery, he continued to engage the enemy and protect the two of us until he was mortally wounded." Parker looked down at the podium, wiping his eyes quickly, "He gave his life for the members of his unit; he made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and for the cause of freedom, and because of his selflessness above and beyond the call of duty, Sergeant Hudson and I are alive today. His extraordinary valor and courage under fire makes him an American hero, and nobody can ever take that away from him."

After finally hearing what happened to her husband, tears were rolling freely down Quinn's cheeks. She had so many questions as to what happened but up until that point, nobody had offered any answers. She knew Parker would probably be in hot water with some of his superior officers for disclosing information he had been asked not to, but she was so thankful he did. She felt Puck's mom's hand on her shoulder, the two women sharing a watery look before focusing their attention back on Parker.

He stood there and cleared his throat once again, everyone directing their attention back to the front. "But Sergeant Puckerman wasn't just a soldier. Granted, he was a great soldier, but there was so much more to him than that. He was also a great man, an even better friend and a devoted family man. I had the privilege of getting to know him and his family over the years, and while he may have been young, twenty-five being a fairly tender age to have a family, he was a devoted husband to his wife Quinn and a wonderful father to his children, Beth and Jameson. I remember all of the times I would walk into his bunk room or into the ready room and he would be Skyping or chatting online with his family, the sight of his children so excited to see and talk to their dad was enough to make even the most hardened soldier smile. And I can vividly remember the day he had been talking with Quinn when she told him she was pregnant again, the man literally jumping with joy, his whole body buzzing for days afterwards, the giant grin never leaving his face upon hearing that they were going to be having a new addition to their family."

"Watching him, observing him and getting to know him over the years has made me realize the kind of husband and father I want to be when my wife and I decide to have children of our own. And I can only hope that one day, I'll end up being even half of the man Puck was." Parker glanced over at Quinn, catching her gaze as he spoke directly to her, "Quinn, your husband was a terrific man, one I am honored and privileged to have been able to call my friend, and I know that Beth, Jameson and your little one on the way, Riley, will all be proud of what a great man their father was and they will all know how much he loved each and every one of you. The rest of the guys and I will make sure of that too."

He looked back up and allowed his gaze to wander the crowd, "Truth be told, I miss him like hell. I miss his sarcasm and his jokes, I miss his wit and easy-going demeanor, and I miss kicking his butt in Madden football on X-Box, as he never seemed to realize his Bengals were no match for my 49ers or Hunt's Broncos. I miss the way he would wander around and sing commercial jingles or even make up new ones just because he knew how much it annoyed everyone. And I miss watching him tell funny stories about his kids, his eyes lighting up even brighter when describing how mischievous they had been. Quinn, I salute you for all that you do, seeing as how I thought Puck was a handful as it was on his own," he joked, Quinn smiling back in return, a soft chuckle leaving her throat at the good-natured ribbing.

After the light laughter died down, Parker turned serious once more, "I miss my fellow brother in arms and I miss one of my best friends. Last week, the Army lost a fine soldier and we all lost someone very special in our lives. But enough about loss," he said, trying to smile as he looked out at the rest of the mourners, "Knowing Puck, he would have probably preferred this to be one big party instead of somber and serious occasion. As you all probably know, he was never one for being serious; he just wasn't built that way. His fun-loving nature and personality never failed to light up a room, always entertaining everyone he met with jokes or stories, the smile almost never leaving his face. Sure, he prided himself on being a certifiable B.A., though I won't elaborate since there are little ears listening, but he was actually a total softie, always willing to help a friend in need and never failing to put a smile on someone's face."

"So instead of mourn for the life lost, let's celebrate Puck for the life that was. Let's celebrate him for the smiles and good times he gave all of us and the wonderful memories we will always have of him. Let's celebrate the strength, courage and bravery he displayed in his everyday life and let's celebrate the timeless mark he left on our lives. And let us be thankful for our time with him, for he touched each and every person who had the chance to meet him. He was incredible human being and I feel both thankful and blessed that he was a part of my life." Parker directed his gaze back at the casket once more before finishing his eulogy, "In the military, we live by a code. It's truly what guides you home, and trust me, you're always trying to get home. Friend, you are in good company up there. You are home," he said, pointing to the sky, "and you'll always be at home in our hearts and in our memories. We love you and we miss you. Climb to glory, friend. Climb to glory."

He placed his hand over their unit insignia inscribed with the same three words before saluting the casket, returning to his place next to his men. The base chaplain then took to the podium and asked everybody to bow their heads in prayer, the gentle timber of his voice offering comfort to the mourners.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will we not fear, though the earth do change, and though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas. For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death. Unto Almighty God we commend the soul of our brother departed, and we commit his body to the earth; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection unto eternal life, through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen."

The six members of the honor guard from Fort Drum then took their places next to the casket, gently lifting the flag up off of the varnished wood and holding it taut above the grave, waiting for their signal. General Miller stood to his feet and called everyone to attention, every soldier snapping up straight and offering a salute as seven more members of the honor guard raised their rifles, firing off three successive volleys on command. The 21-gun salute startled both Beth and Jameson, the little boy jerking and whimpering as the shots were fired into the air. Mrs. Puckerman helped clamp her hands over his ears, the little boy trembling as he latched onto his mother's arm.

Once the shots ceased, a lone Army bugler began to play "Taps," the slow, solemn song bringing tears to many of the other mourners' eyes. The flag bearers began the methodical ceremony of folding the flag into a triangle, the lead soldier of the honor guard transferring the flag to General Miller upon completion. The rest of the soldiers in the crowd allowed their salutes to fall slowly in respect, remaining at attention throughout the presentation of the flag. General Miller turned on his heel and marched over to Quinn, kneeling in front of her and extending the flag toward her, offering her a solemn nod of his head.

"This Flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation, as a token of our appreciation for the honorable and dutiful service rendered by your husband," he explained in hushed tones, allowing her to accept the flag before speaking once more, "Your husband was a good man and we are forever in debt for his sacrifice."

Quinn nodded and offered him a quiet thank you, clutching the flag to her chest as General Miller stood and marched back to his seat. Beth ran her fingers across the stitching on the flag in her mother's hands while Jameson buried his face in it, the family all sharing in the last physical vestiges of their father and husband.

The chaplain waited until General Miller stood beside his seat again before he made his way to the front of the casket and placed his hand on the smooth wood and offered the final benediction, "The Lord bless thee and keep thee, the Lord make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee, the Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen."

The chaplain backed away and signaled for General Miller to take over, the old soldier walking up to the casket and placing his hand on its surface, muttering a few words before offering another salute and turning on his heel, marching away from the grave site. Lt. Col. Mitchell followed suit, repeating the action as the recessional commenced.

Once the two base commanding officers had paid their respects, it was Captain Parker's turn, the team leader marching up to the casket and running his hand along the top, whispering a broken "thank you" before reaching over and yanking the metal unit insignia off of his arm. He angled the tab so the two crossed red swords pointed up the head of the casket, the unit motto "Climb to Glory" easy to read as he took the butt end of his fist and pounded it once, the metal prongs embedding themselves into the hard wood. Parker stood up straight and gave Puck one last salute before walking off and meeting up with his wife and the other officers.

Hunt was the next up, repeating the same action Parker took by pulling his insignia off of his uniform and placing it next to Parker's, pounding it into wood as well before saluting his friend. Vargas and Tex followed suit in the same manner, Tex giving him a shaky salute before tapping his casket one last time on the way out, the grown man blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay.

Finn was supposed to go next but he felt glued to his spot, unable to move as several other members of different 10th Mountain Division units paid the same respects, each leaving their own unit insignia tabs on his casket as a sign of respect. Finally, when he was the last soldier there, Rachel took his hand and pulled him up, gently and silently leading him toward his friend.

Rachel laid her hand on the smooth wood, saying a few words before moving out of the way and standing off to the side to wait for her husband. Finn, on the other hand, stood there in front of the casket for a few wordless moments, glancing briefly at the headstone he visited that morning before looking back at the casket.

"I'm so sorry, Puck," he whispered once more, finally letting the tears flow as he placed both hands on the casket, "I owe you my life, and I don't know how I'll ever repay you. But I do know this," he began, swallowing hard, "I will uphold my end and do what you asked. I'll be there for all of them. I'll teach Jameson everything I know and I'll scare the hell out of any guy who tries to date Beth or Riley. And I'll make sure they know how much you love them. I promise you."

He ran his hand along the smooth wood grain, stopping at the line of metal insignia tabs, "I love you, man. Take care and somewhere down the road, I know we'll meet again," he replied before pulling back, "Rest in peace, brother."

With that, Finn crossed his body and pulled his own tab off of his arm, carefully placing it next to the others before popping it down into the wood with a firm slap, Finn rearing back up and rendering a crisp salute before turning away and hobbling toward his wife, who stood there watching her husband with tears streaming down her face.

Tex, Hunt and Vargas were waiting next to Rachel, a tissue extending from Hunt's hand as Finn wordlessly took it and turned away, tending to his own emotions for a few moments. Nobody teased anybody about the tears they all had shed because everyone was in the same boat, this was the first time many of them had felt that kind of loss and had witnessed his passing, the whole ordeal still very raw with each and every man standing there.

The rest of the group began to trickle away as well, many mourners dispersing with a few comments or words as they paid their respects. Santana even left her own personal mark, walking up to the casket before murmuring, "As pissed as I am for you leaving me here with nobody to trade shots with, I know you're in a better place. Vaya con dios, and I'll see you on the other side, Puckerman." She kissed her fingers before laying her palm on the casket and walking over to meet Britt and the rest of the gang, who had all found a shady spot under a tree to congregate before heading to the wake.

They had all given his family a little bit of space to take their time in mourning their loss, but the truly hard part was over, much of the emotion having been spent the viewing the day prior. Puck's mom and sister said their final goodbyes and met up with the Schuesters, leaving Quinn and her children to say their own goodbyes.

As hard as it was to say their last goodbyes, Quinn had been trying to think more positively about the situation, as if there were any real positives to focus on. After the viewing, she was a wreck, unable to form coherent sentences about how she felt or what she was supposed to do now that he was gone. She was pretty much useless, Judy and Shelby both helping to put the kids to bed before Shelby snuck away for the night, leaving Judy and an inconsolable Quinn to their business.

After trying to sooth her daughter for a good hour, Judy finally said something to Quinn that really resonated with her. She explained that Puck was in a good place now and she never had to fear for his safety again. She went on to say that, knowing Puck, he would always be there with her, watching over her and their kids, and while she couldn't see him, his presence would always remain. He wouldn't miss out on their lives, he was just watching from a different view. Judy then said that Puck wouldn't want Quinn to lose herself in her grief, but instead rise up and celebrate his life by living hers and raising their children to be they way they had always talked about, for them to be happy and loved and supported by the people around them. She knew Puck loved her and it would take some time to move past this difficult stage in their lives, but Quinn was strong enough to carry herself and her children through and they would emerge stronger and closer to one another than ever before.

So standing there at his casket, Quinn was still overcome with sadness and grief, but the wave of crippling depression she had felt just the day prior never came. She held each of her children's hands as they both leaned in and kissed the smooth wood, telling him they loved him before pulling back. Quinn did the same, placing a gentle kiss on the casket over where his head was, letting her swollen stomach brush the wood in the process.

"Riley says she loves you," she said, offering a watery smile, "And the same goes for me too. I will always love you, Noah."

And with that, she turned away, taking both Jameson and Beth's outstretched hands and walking away, leaving his lone casket on the sunny hillside.

* * *

><p>As the flock of mourners and well-wishers mingled around the Fabray mansion, Quinn tried to be a good host, thanking everyone for coming and accepting various trays of food and goodies, but it had definitely been a taxing day already. Mrs. Puckerman was working the room as well, the older woman graciously accepting people's condolences and food leaving Quinn a bit jealous of how graceful under pressure the woman truly was. The was also very grateful that her mother had immediately volunteered to have the wake her home, Judy doing a wonderful job of multitasking and talking to guests while making sure all of the caterers continued to keep the food hot.<p>

She glanced to her left and watched as Puck's little sister and Britt kept Beth and Jameson entertained, Santana watching over all of them as she and Whitney, their friend from college, chatted with Tina, Mike, Tex and Taylor, the football star managing to take a day or two off from practice to be there for Quinn and her family. The rest of her friends mingled around with the rest of the group, the soldiers and civilians mixing seamlessly with one another, everyone talking and looking like they were having a good time…which felt strange, but at the same time, felt liberating.

Because Parker was right, she thought as she smiled to herself, Puck would have hated a somber occasion to remember and mourn what was, but rather would have wanted them to have a party to celebrate his life. He loved to have his buddies over for bar-be-ques and truly enjoyed entertaining people and spending time with his friends, always wanting to make sure everyone had a good time. A somber occasion just wouldn't be his style.

Quinn smiled as she watched people talk and tell funny stories about her husband and their friend, everyone celebrating him for who he was: a goofy, fun-loving, and outgoing guy, a fiercely loyal friend, a loving and caring husband and father and an overall gentle human being. He was Noah to some, Puck to others, but friend to all, and Quinn was proud to be able to call him hers.

She swallowed the sadness momentarily and continued to mingle, joking with her friends and thanking all of the other well-wishers, everyone commenting on how beautiful her children were and how they were excited to meet her new little one when she finally decided to grace the world. She fell into an easy stride that night for the first time in almost a week and a half since she first heard the news about Puck.

However, as soon as she saw Finn and Rachel murmuring in a corner, Finn's face betraying all of the sadness and guilt he felt, Quinn felt her own heart sink in return. It was as if all of the happiness and light emotions had been sucked out of the room as soon as Finn and her eyes met. Rachel must have felt the shift as well, the brunette standing and leaving the two of them be, giving her husband a reassuring knee squeeze and Quinn a tight hug before joining Santana, Britt and the rest of the group by the refreshment table.

Finn's head dropped into his hands and Quinn could tell he was hurting, taking a seat next to the man who had been her and her husband's friend since before they could even remember. His expression conflicted and eyes clouded with emotion, Quinn knew he had been warring internally with his own emotion over Puck's death, and while Parker had given her a bit more clarity on the situation and insight as to what happened, she knew Finn was taking it even harder than everyone else in his unit.

She patted his leg a few times before letting her hand rest on his knee, taking a deep breath in the process.

"Finn, I don't even know what to say," she began, her voice shaky as she spoke, "You were his best friend and confidant, and I wanted to thank you for being there with him when everything went down."

"Please don't thank me for that," Finn responded, his eyes filling with tears, causing Quinn to tear up too, "I don't deserve your praise."

Quinn opened her mouth to speak, but was effectively cut off when Finn's hand found his way into hers, "Quinn," he said, looking up into her eyes, a few tears falling down his cheeks as he spoke, "He saved my life. I told him not to and I told him to leave me there but he wouldn't – he didn't listen. He fought back and drug me out of harm's way at his expense. After all was said and done, I looked back at the crater the air strike left in the earth where both Parker and I first landed after the initial RPG blast – I knew that had he given up and left us there, we'd be dead for sure."

He took a deep breath and tried to steady the jumble of thoughts in his mind before speaking again, "I owe him my life, I owe him everything, and nothing I can do can bring him back or make up for what he did. I held him and watched as he faded away and that memory will forever haunt me."

Quinn felt the hot tears fall down her cheeks as he spoke, the personal recollection striking an all too fresh chord. Hearing Finn's side made everything feel that much rawer, that much more real and her heart truly ached watching him struggle with what he had gone through with Puck during his last moments.

Finn sighed and wiped his eyes, clutching her hand even tighter, "But I did make a promise to him. A few in fact. He –uh – he asked me be there for you guys if you needed me. I promised to teach Jameson how to play football and I promised to keep the boys away from your daughters until they were at least 30," he joked, "But I was thinking more along the lines of 35."

Quinn let out a watery chuckle before he continued, his voice a bit more somber as he spoke, "I promised I would let you know that he loved you very much and he loved the kids very much and knowing him, he would do anything for you guys." Finn hesitated a moment before letting go of her hand and reaching inside his uniform jacket, pulling out a nondescript white envelope and handing it to Quinn, "And I promised him I would give you this."

Quinn accepted the envelope, inspecting the front and letting out a small gasp at the sight of Puck's handwriting, the name "Quinn Puckerman" the only words adorning the front. Her hands began to tremble as she held the envelope and stared down at his familiar scrawl, her jaw wide as the tears blurred her vision.

Finn cleared his throat before he began to explain, "Before we went on each mission as a team, every guy would sit down and write a letter to their loved ones, just in case they didn't come back." He cleared his throat again, the lump of emotion causing him to struggle to get it all out, "It sounds strange, but it was actually helpful. It helps guys get everything off of their chests and lets their families know they loved them no matter what happened to them. It allows them to go into combat with a clear mind instead of getting into a situation and getting distracted by thinking that they forgot to tell their wife or their kids something that they should have or worrying about not getting to say their own personal goodbye. It's a bit morbid yet oddly cathartic, if that makes sense."

Quinn scrutinized the envelope even more, her whole body trembling knowing that she was holding on to Puck's final goodbye to her and the kids. His last words, his last thoughts, the last "I love you." She gave Finn a grateful nod, her gaze never leaving the envelope in her hands as he stood and gave her shoulder a comforting pat before walking away.

The envelope was a bit dirty, her tears staining the brown-tinted paper as they washed away the grime. She knew what it contained and she had a good idea of what he may have said in his letter, but she couldn't open it just yet. It was all too much too soon. She almost wanted to drag it on for a little while longer if only to prolong seeing his last good bye.

She quietly stood and exited the room, heading upstairs and pulling out her suitcase from under the bed. She glanced at the envelope one last time, kissing the back seal where his own lips had once been before tucking it carefully into a secure pocket in her bag.

Everything in her chest felt totally raw and her head began to pound, and at seven and a half months pregnant, the toll of the emotions over the last few days had definitely been more than she thought she could handle. But the letter is what set her over the edge, her entire body overwhelmed by the weight and reality of the situation.

Quinn sat down on the bed before letting herself fall into the pillows, her whole body wracked with sobs as she thought about Puck's last letter to her, now nestled safely in her suitcase under her.

Eventually she would read it when she was ready… it was the 'when' that she was totally unsure of.

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><p><em><strong>AN: **Thank you all again for sticking with this story til (almost) the end. Only the Epilogue remains. Now, given my mini-rant at the top, I should probably explain now. I had been planning on writing this little explanation at the end of the story, and even though I've told a few people via PM and made comments about this story being personal in a few other chapters, I feel now is a good time to come clean._

_This story is a very true story. It is my (late) husband and my story and it is a very true chronicle of our lives and our families lives from the time my husband and I started dating again in high school to the time of his passing about three years ago. I guess I should say this story is about 95% true because I did have to change a few events in the first few chapters to somewhat fit the actual Glee cannon, I was a volleyball player in college, not a cheerleader, and of course most of the names are changed (except for Rachel's…her real name is Rachel & her and her husband Greg are both two of my closest friends), but everything else is real. That's why the dates on the headstone don't match up to "glee time" and why the prayer offered by the chaplain was for a protestant memorial (we're not Jewish like the Glee Puck was). It took me several months to write the last few chapters because it was a very difficult thing for me to re-live while I was writing, and I even enlisted a few of my friends' help to get some of the specifics correctly, or in Greg's (Finn's) case, get a handle on what he had been feeling as well. _

_When I say this story is true, I mean it's all true. I have always loved Glee and the first time I saw it, I really connected with Quinn and Puck's story line. Everything about their story line and relationship reminded me of myself and my husband, right down to the little girl the two of us had when we were juniors in high school. We made the hardest decision ever to give our Beth (Ella is her real name) up for adoption, but we did really enjoy having an open relationship with her and her adoptive mother, one that continues on to this day. I even coach her little volleyball team. I was always the studious good girl & the serious student-athlete while my husband was the rebellious bad-boy. Once the pressures of high school were gone after graduation, it was like he became a whole new man. _

_He joined the military and it really changed his life for the better. It straightened him out, gave him a purpose and gave him something to be proud of, something I know he would have struggled to attain had he decided to not to join. Both he and his childhood friend Greg joined together and served with one another until the end and despite how hard things were after his passing and how tough it is to live without him at times, I know he doesn't regret one thing about his time in the military. Regardless of politics or personal beliefs on war and the military, I will always support our troops, for they do their job when they're asked and don't ask questions, and for that reason alone I will always support them, no matter what happened to our family. Our story is rare in the grand scope of things. I still love him with all my heart and even though being a single parent is tough, I have three beautiful children (Ella, Jameson and Riley ) that remind me of him and carry on his legacy each and every day of their lives and I am so grateful for every moment I get to spend with them. And yes, Jameson is a spitting image of his father…from his charming smile down to his mischievous nature, that little boy is exactly like my husband. _

_If you have read this far, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kind words and reviews have meant more to me than you will ever know. This was the first story I ever tried to write and it's been my baby, so I'm sad to see it coming to an end. However, I was very hesitant for a long time to come clean about this being a true story. I didn't want to guilt trip you or make you feel sorry for my family or write this as a "woe-be-me" piece. In all honesty, this entire process has been extremely cathartic to me and has allowed me to share his story with others. I just hope I was able to honor his memory and do it justice. _

_I will love you forever, Danny. This one was for you. _


	31. Epilogue

**A/N: **_After over a year and a half since I first started writing this story and several months since I last updated, it is finally here. The last chapter to this very personal saga. I want to take a second to thank every single person who has taken the time to read or subscribe to this story, and for all the people out there who have put it on your favorites list, you have no idea how flattering that is. 110 followers, 94 favorites and over 55,000+ views on this story? Incredible, thank you! Last but not least, I want to thank __**MaximumFire, Quinn101, Raina, Shananigan, Solaris Day, fartsinurface6, A Amanda A, Shanii, MelinaBee, MsKylie93, Ali, Kylie, Columbia R0se, RAGML, GarnetAles, littleredwritinggleek, Melanie, Weasley-Potter08, marine04, Lula, readbetweenthesigns, f1lo2, Msjanelle32, olacindy, LittleMissDasie, jasperhppy2, rebelstarsalign, wani, HopeCoppice, TheHeartsWish, randomly-hyper8711, petherringham, kate10011, Guest, GleekFreak13, 777, AlineVanDeventer, x-Mermaid-sparkles-x, and FF2Addict**__ for your wonderful reviews. I tried to PM you all back to thank you for your kind words and support but if there was anyone I missed or a few of the guests I couldn't thank, I want to say you're all amazing. Thanks!_

_I know many of you started out reading this story in the hopes that it would be fun and light-hearted, and I know I threw many of you for a curveball toward the end. This story isn't for everybody and I apologize if it was not what you were looking for or what you were expecting, but even if you were upset with how it ended, I am grateful that you took the time to even give this story a shot. For the rest of you, thank you again for following me on this journey. It hasn't been easy and I'm sorry if I disappointed any of you but your love, support and generosity in the form of reviews and PMs has been incredible and greatly appreciated. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart._

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

A little over two weeks after her husband's funeral, Quinn found herself sitting in her and Puck's living room in Fort Drum, New York, flanked on either side by her mother and Puck's mother, as well as her friends, Brittany, Santana and Rachel all agreeing to accompany her and her family back up to the base to sort through Puck's affects and deal with all of the paperwork regarding his passing. She was comforted by the fact that her family and friends wanted to be there with her to help make decisions and sort things out while helping her refrain from having an emotional breakdown every time she saw a photo of him and the kids or caught a whiff of his scent on his clothes in the closet.

But the hardest part of her trip back home had to be the visit from the Casualty Assistance and JAG officers, who came to read Puck's will and explain his survivor benefits and other miscellaneous aspects of what happens after a soldier passes away in action. But no matter what each officer said or the amount of money they were offering her for Puck's life insurance and the Army's survivor benefits, nothing made her feel better at all. No comforting words or posthumous medals or number of zeroes behind a dollar sign could bring her husband back.

She felt absolutely numb, like none of this was real. Every time the phone rang or someone walked through the door, part of her heart skipped a beat thinking it was going to be him, coming in to tell her the last few weeks had all been a big joke. A really mean, cruel joke.

But the other part of her knew it was no joke. Her husband was truly gone…forever. Her children's father was gone forever. He wouldn't be around for any more anniversaries or birthdays. He wouldn't get to see his children play in their first soccer games or see any of them graduate high school or get married or even meet his own grandchildren. Nothing.

She attempted to smile and thank the officers for their time, accepting their hugs and condolences before immediately heading straight to her and Puck's study and packing all of the paperwork away in the filing cabinet, refusing to look at any of it anymore. She glanced around the room, taking in the already-packed boxes strewn about the small space.

Swallowing hard, she allowed her hand to trail over Puck's dusty guitar case, tears springing to her eyes as she remembered when he used to sing to her when she was pregnant, and again when he proposed to her before deploying for the first time.

They were just starting their life together when he was taken from her, from their family, and now all that was left was a partially packed house, almost ready to move out and hopefully eventually move on.

Their friends and family were there to help the very pregnant Quinn out with the move, everyone chipping in to help pack up boxes – to help Quinn pack away her family's entire life. The house Puck picked out for them used to be their home, but now it felt like nothing more than an empty shell, and Quinn felt glad, relieved almost, that they would be moving back to Ohio within the following week. She knew that they wouldn't be able to live on the military base for much longer after Puck's death, but she wouldn't have wanted to stay even if the military allowed them to remain living there. It wasn't the same without him.

Plus, this way, her children may not be able to grow up with their father, but they would be growing up in Quinn and Puck's hometown, surrounded by family and friends who loved them and would be able to be there for them as they got older. They would also be able to visit their father's gravesite and spend time with him once they moved back to Lima.

Quinn had also contacted Syracuse University's law school and withdrew from classes for the semester, realizing that there was no way she was going to be able to complete the year. Given the tragedy her and her family had endured, the university had been very understanding and even offered to help her transfer her credits to any of the law schools in Ohio. After considering all of her options, Quinn chose to apply, and was accepted, to the law school at Ohio State University, deciding to defer her enrollment and finish out her law school career at a later date after the baby was born and her family was situated back in Lima.

But even though she had everything for the future figured out in her head for the most part, she knew the transition back home would be tough for both her and her growing family. Sure Jameson was still pretty young and Riley would be born there so neither of them would really know the difference, but she was still worried about her own transition back home and how she was going to handle being a single mother of two in less than a month.

As she made her way through the halls of her home, she tried to take it all in, savoring the feeling of being in this home for the last few moments she had. This was her family's first home, this is where they brought Jameson home from the hospital when he was first born, this is where they conceived their little girl Riley, and this was the place their family finally became complete when Beth asked them about who her real parents were.

She poked her head into her son's room, smiling gently as she watched him snooze away during his afternoon nap, his whole room partially in boxes as he seemed to thoroughly enjoy unpacking all of his toys to play with just to spite his mother and the rest of the adults who were trying to put them away for the move. Quinn gently closed his door and made her way into her own bedroom, taking a look around at the stacks of boxes littering the master bedroom floor.

She noted all of the boxes that were hers, all neatly labeled with their contents and stacked along one wall. The other wall, however, was an entirely different story. Those boxes belonged to Puck. The last remaining vestiges of his life and belongings were contained within those brown boxes, Puck's mother, her mom and Santana all volunteering to help pack those away for her as it was too hard to even see his things, let alone touch them or smell them, her emotions still on edge every time she saw anything that reminded her of him.

A few moments later, she heard a slight rap on her bedroom door, Rachel poking her head in and offering a small smile before taking a seat next to Quinn on the bed.

"Jameson woke up from his nap. Finn and Tex are out in the backyard playing with him," she began, her voice soft as she addressed her friend, "They said the other guys would be over later this afternoon to continue helping box things up and sorting them for the moving company."

"Oh," Quinn murmured, "I should probably go find something to fix them for dinner or order pizza for them to say thanks."

She went to stand but Rachel gently caught her arm and shook her head, "Your mom already took care of it. It is ok to slow down a bit, Quinn. I know you feel this need to keep going and make sure everyone else is taken care of, but you've gotta slow down and take care of yourself too, Quinn. We've all been through a lot lately, you more than any of the rest of us, and things have been very tough around here. But it's not healthy for you to keep going at the rate you are."

Quinn sat back down and stared at Rachel."I'm fine, Rachel. I think I'm handling my family and myself just fine, thank you. I suggest you mind your own business," she snapped.

Rachel didn't even flinch but Quinn felt terrible as soon as the words left her mouth. She continued to stare Rachel down until her own façade began to crack, tears snaking down her cheeks as deep emotion wracked her body as she sat there with her very patient and understanding best friend.

"I don't know what to do," she sobbed, staring back down at her comforter, "I don't – I don't know what I'm supposed to do now without him. I can't do this –I can't be a single mom! I'm only twenty-five; I can't do this on my own!"

"Shh," Rachel cooed gently, pulling Quinn into a tight embrace as she tried to think about what she should say now. She couldn't just say that everything was going to be ok because it wasn't. Quinn had lost her husband and best friend, the father of their children, the love of her life so how could Rachel sit there and say that everything would be ok. "Quinn, you are one of the strongest people I know and you're an amazing mother." She paused, trying to find the words to express what she was trying to say, "And you have all of us to help, whenever or wherever. Just call and we'll be there."

Quinn sniffled gently as Rachel continued to hold her, allowing her to cry for several more minutes. Once Rachel felt her sobs ease up, she pulled back and looked Quinn in the eye, helping to brush away some of the remaining tears, "Sweetie, I can't possibly imagine what you're going through or how you're feeling right now, and as hard as it is for me to say this and for you to believe it, eventually the pain and sadness will begin to heal. You're an incredible woman and a tremendous mother who has two beautiful children who believe you hung the moon and you've got another perfect little one on the way." Rachel sighed, patting Quinn's swollen stomach, her voice softer as she spoke once more, "And I know how much you loved Puck and wanted him to be here to see his kids grow up. Believe me, he wanted that too, more than anything. Finn told me that was all he could talk about when they were away."

Quinn let out a strangled sob and Rachel feared she had gone a bit too far with that last comment, but she needed some way to comfort Quinn. The insecure part of her felt Quinn would resent her and Finn after everything had happened, possibly believing that Finn was the one who should have been killed instead of Puck. They hadn't had kids yet and were just enjoying their time as a couple where as Puck and Quinn had a family and were expecting another addition in mere weeks. However, the other part of her knew Quinn didn't feel that way. Quinn knew exactly how her husband was and what kind of man he was and whenever she spoke about her husband or talked to Finn or any of the other guys, there was just something in her eyes that told Rachel that she knew Puck did what he thought was best, what he had to do given the circumstances. He was a hero and he thought of others before he thought of himself.

With that thought, Rachel glanced back down at the thick envelopes she had brought up from the family room. After a morning of speaking with the Casualty Assistance Officers and receiving all of the details of the benefits and assistance families of fallen soldiers would receive, Rachel fully understood why Quinn needed a bit of space to herself. It was a lot to take in and Quinn had done a great job holding it all together in front of the men, nodding along with them and asking questions, but Rachel knew it was all a front. Quinn wanted to look strong in front of the family and friends who had been by her side, but there is really only so much a person can take while talking about their deceased spouse.

Rachel released her hold on Quinn's shoulders and grasped the manila envelope on the top, handing it over to Quinn, "I wanted to bring this up to you just in case you were packing away all of your important documents and such up here. It's from the Army… from this morning," she explained, Quinn nodding along as she accepted it from Rachel. Rachel turned once more and grasped a slimmer manila envelope, turning it over in her fingers once more before handing it over to Quinn as well.

Quinn frowned slightly as she took in the second envelope, gasping as she recognized the familiar scrawl on the front. In plain, simple lettering was Puck's handwriting, the words "To: My sunshine, Quinn, and my favorite Pucklings, Beth, Jameson and Riley" standing out in the middle. She grasped the envelope, her trembling fingers tracing the outline of his writing.

"They also delivered this along with the other packet of information," Rachel explained, motioning to the envelope in Quinn's hands, "After you left the room, the Army JAG handed it to Santana. He explained that Puck had dropped it off with his office during his last R&R for safe keeping while he was on deployment but if anything were to happen to him, that it should be given to his family along with his will."

Quinn felt another tear streak down her face before it dropped on the crisp envelope in her hands. First the letter and now this? Was Puck practically predicting his death if he had left all of this stuff for her?

Confusion and sadness wracked her body as she continued to stare down at the envelope, feeling as raw and helpless as she did the last time she was handed one of these at her husband's funeral.

"I was contemplating waiting to give it to you until we got you all settled back in Lima, but I figured that was not my place to decide. Just know that we're all here for you no matter what," Rachel explained, standing and gently squeezing Quinn's hand in support, "And we've got everything covered downstairs. Take all the time you need, hun."

With one last parting glance, Rachel exited the room, shutting the door quietly on her way out and leaving Quinn alone with her thoughts. Everything over the past few weeks had been so overwhelming that she could barely get her head on straight, let alone organize, plan and coordinate the move back home. She had a ton of help downstairs and a support system when they returned back to Lima, including a place to live with her mother for the time being, and a lot of friends who had been willing to drop what they were doing in their own lives and help her with her own personal crisis, all of which she was immensely grateful and thankful for.

However, she still felt like her life was crumbling down around her and she couldn't do a damn thing to stop it. Hell, she even broke down into tears and couldn't even look at her son last night after packing away photographs of their family, the little boy a blonder spitting image of his father and another reminder of what they all had lost in their lives.

But despite the pain and heartache of her husband's death, she knew she needed to pull herself together and stay strong for her friends, her family and most of all for herself. Puck wouldn't have wanted her to break down and wallow over his passing. He was a warrior and it was about time for her to take a page from his book and fight through this hard time in their family's life.

She took one last look at the envelope in her hand before standing and placing it in the same secure bag she had hidden the letter Finn had given her after Puck's funeral, taking a few moments to wipe under her eyes and pull herself together before exiting her room and making her way back down the stairs to join the rest of the group for pizza and more packing.

* * *

><p>While she hadn't anticipated the move back to Lima to be an easy one, she never anticipated it being this difficult either. It had almost been a month since she and Jameson had moved back in with her mother, and despite being surrounded by family and friends for most of that time, she had never felt more alone in her life. All too often she found herself thinking of a funny story or hearing a funny joke only to turn around to tell Puck, who would never be there to hear another joke or sit through another one of her stories again. And then it would hit her hard again…and again and again and again. Every time she would think of him, the loneliness and sadness and pain and hurt and sorrow would wash over her like a ice-cold wave…except instead of the wave passing and subsiding, it felt as though she were being held underwater, suffocating on emptiness and sadness of every moment of every day.<p>

Rachel had suggested that she go talk to someone about her depression and her mom even offered to set her up with a psychologist and pay for her treatment but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it just yet. It felt as if she talked about him, she would start forgetting. It sounded dumb, but in the movies it always seemed like when someone opened up and talked about their pain over losing someone dear to them, talking about their life including all of the happy and sad moments and all of the fond memories, that person would miraculously begin to heal. It made it out to look like it was some fucking miracle cure to losing a loved one that helped the survivors carry on and move on with their lives.

And as stupid as it may sound, Quinn didn't want to move on. She couldn't move on, especially if it involved moving on from Puck.

She had been a straight A student in high school, college and even in law school so she knew better than to believe in everything she saw in movies. She was smarter than that. But there was something in those films that scared her to death, something that made her think twice about opening up about everything that had happened.

In the end of all of those movies was usually a happy ending. Some sort of silver lining the main character found that came with some random profound moment they found while examining their relationship with the deceased character or lost love on the screen. She used to love the movies, even had a soft spot for Nicholas Sparks and sappy romantic comedies, but after everything that had happened, she had it set in her mind that happy endings were only made in Hollywood. Something fictitious to give theater-goers something to believe in to sell tickets. They were bullshit. There was no such thing as a happy ending, because if there was, her husband would still be there instead of buried six feet under an oak tree at the Lima cemetery.

No, the movies were full of shit. Unlike 'reel' life, when people pass away in the real world, it's hard to move on. Even then, Quinn hated the damn term. She was convinced you never really move on. You move forward, but you never move on. And even then, it takes more than just opening up about how you feel about what happened to begin to move forward.

But deep down it was more than that. Deep down, despite her newly found cynicism of Hollywood films, part of her believed what she saw and heard. Part of her believed that talking about what happened and what she lost would help her move on…and she just wasn't ready to do that.

And if she were being really honest, a big part of her believed what they said on the silver screen. That if she talked about her and Puck's life together and their happy moments and opened up about her sadness and pain that she would start to heal. That she would start to move on and thus begin to forget her pain and her sadness over losing him…maybe even begin to forget him. And that was something she could never let happen. She refused to let go of him and his memory and if that meant living with the constant ache in her chest and emptiness in her heart, she'd do it, just to make sure she never forgot him. Never let his memory slip away like they do in the movies.

x-x-x-x-x

Hours rolled into days which rolled into weeks. She had been miserable ever since she had returned to Lima and people had become increasingly concerned with her wellbeing, especially given the fact that she was nearing her due date and was about to pop at any moment. After Puck's passing, everyone gave her a wide berth, respecting her space and stepping in to watch Jameson when she needed a few moments to herself.

But after while, it was obvious to everyone that the stress she was under and the way she was 'coping' with her depression was not healthy for her or the baby, her close family and friends deciding it was time to step in.

Her mother had tried to suggest getting help a few more times and Rachel had tried her best as well, offering to listen whenever she needed to talk, but it was no use, especially when little things here and there kept popping up to remind her about her loss. After her family had gotten themselves settled, she caught wind that Finn was going through an especially hard time as well, her husband's best friend deciding that he too would leave the military as soon as his contract was up in the following few months. He and Rachel were planning on taking some time to themselves, moving back for a while to allow him to heal at home as well. And on top of that, she had received a letter from Captain Parker, describing how Puck's heroism had earned him several additional medals of valor for his courage and bravery and that General Miller was even considering nominating him for the Army's Distinguished Service Cross.

It was a very rare honor to receive and Quinn knew there was a vast pool of individuals whose own acts of bravery probably overshadowed her husband's in the grand scheme of things. Yet, even while she felt proud of him for what he had done and the honors that had been bestowed upon him, she would gladly return all of the medals and posthumous honors and condolences just to have her husband alive, even if it was only for a day.

Just one more day with him to tell him that she loved him and to watch him play with his son or read to his daughter, or hell, even meet his new little girl. She'd do anything for just one more day…but every day there was some reminder that he was gone, and he was never coming back.

She tried to put on a brave face but it was exhausting day in and day out.

However, despite everyone trying to tip-toe around the grieving widow, Santana had enough. She was hurting for the loss of her friend and her own heart ached watching her best friend grieve like she was but it was unhealthy, not just for her and the baby but for everyone around her. Jameson had been moodier than ever and Beth had been struggling too, watching her birth mom sad over her father all the time had taken its toll on her as well. Judy and Mrs. Puckerman were struggling as well and Quinn's funk certainly didn't help Finn feel any better either. And while it could all explode in her face, Santana knew she needed to do something.

After exchanging pleasantries with Mrs. Fabray and gifting little Jameson with a small toy car, Santana made her way up to Quinn's bedroom, finding her curled up under the covers trying to take a nap.

"Alright blondie, up and at-em," Santana barked, standing next to the bed before shaking the lump under the covers.

"I'm trying to sleep, San."

"Yep, I know, but you need to get up and shower. We've got a mani-pedi appointment in about an hour and you kinda stink," Santana replied, grabbing the pillow out from under Quinn's head.

"Dude, shut up and leave me alone," Quinn groaned, reaching for the pillow.

Santana held it just outside of her reach, dangling it in front of her and trying to entice her to get out of bed, "No can do, my friend. You're actually getting out of this house and getting some fresh air today. No excuses, so let's go," she added, trying to pull Quinn out of bed.

"What part of leave me alone do you not understand?"

"Every. Single. Damn. Part." Santana explained, slowly as if talking to a child, "But what part of 'get your ass out of bed and live your damn life' don't you understand?"

"You know what, fuck you San," Quinn shot back, sitting up and glaring at the Latina, "You have no fucking clue what I'm going through right now and –"

But Santana was too quick, cutting her off before she could make any more excuses, "No Quinn, you're right. I have no clue what you're going through or what you're feeling. Puck was a good friend of mine but he was your husband and I can't imagine what that's like. But I'm willing to listen and help you to get better in any way I can. But I can't do that if you won't let me in, or anybody else in for that matter!"

"I don't want to talk about this right now," Quinn complained, turning away and making like she was going to lay back down again. But Santana wouldn't let her, sitting down on the bed next to her and pulling her back up.

"I know you don't want to talk about it right now. You never want to talk about it, and you know what, that's not healthy in the least. I get that you're depressed and hurting. All of us are, some in different degrees, but we're all torn up about this. And none of us can start to heal until you do. Just being around you is hard because your pain and sadness rub off on everyone else and we're all left feeling sad or helpless that we can't help you!"

"I'm coping in my own way. Why can't people respect that?"

"You're coping?" Santana laughed humorlessly, "Yeah, you're coping really well. Locking yourself in your room, sleeping for hours upon hours, and rocking this ridiculous side pony thing you've got going on? Yeah, you're doing a great job of 'coping' with this."

"And you think your fucking sarcasm is going to help?" Quinn asked, rolling her eyes.

"No, but hopefully it helps get it through your head that your idea that you're coping on your own is a fucking joke," Santana replied, running a hand through her hair before grasping Quinn's hand, "Look, I know this is hard for you. It doesn't take a genius to see how badly this is affecting you and we all want to help you. But you have to let us help you; at least be open to the idea of getting help or talking to somebody or doing something that could make you feel better."

"I don't – I don't need a shrink. I'm not crazy, I'm just sad."

"We're not saying you are crazy. It's ok to admit that you may need some help getting through this time in your life. Even some of the strongest people out there need help every once in a while. Whether it is talking to a professional or talking to your friends or your mom, you need to open up and get everything off of your chest," she sighed, "Like I said, I know it's hard but it's not healthy to let these feelings of pain and sadness fester. And if you don't believe me that you need to do something about this, just go look at your son! Spend some time with him or Beth and you'll see what I'm talking about. Quinn, they look to you to be their mom and to see how they should feel about everything. Beth has been moody and somber every time she comes over to see you and I think it's rubbing off on Jameson too. He's been a lot more irritable and cranky lately and I'm pretty sure he can sense that you're not doing well either, possibly modeling his behavior after you."

"Oh great, so you're saying I'm being a bad mother now too," Quinn asked, her voice full of tears as she wiped a few from her cheeks, "That's great. Just great."

"Quinn no, I'm not calling you a bad mom. All I'm trying to say is that they sense your sadness and they can't feel happy or allow themselves to heal when they see that you're constantly upset. I know it hurts and I'm not saying that you should pretend that everything is ok when it's obvious that it's not. But you've gotta see that this funk you're in doesn't just affect you; it affects everyone around you too. If you still don't think that you need help to make yourself feel better, then do it for your children," Santana murmured, her voice calm but firm as she tried to get Quinn to see reason behind her argument, "They need their mom to be there for them, to hold them and tell them that she loves them and to help console them when they feel sad or confused. You may have lost your husband but you need to remember that they lost their father too, so they're hurting just as bad as you are. Plus, the stress you're putting on yourself can't be good for the baby."

"I know," Quinn whispered, wiping a few more tears away as she stared back at the comforter.

"Look, I'm not trying to force you to go see a shrink, but I know a good grief counselor that we went to see after my grandmother passed away. She's not in-your-face and she won't push you too hard too quickly, and while I was fairly skeptical at first, talking to her about how I was feeling really did make me feel better. It helped me come to terms with her passing and helped me find more positive ways to grieve as well as remember her memory," Santana explained, "But even if you don't feel like seeking professional help just yet, you have lots of people around you who love and care about you and would be more than willing to listen if you need to talk."

"I just – I don't – I don't know."

"You don't know what, sweetie?"

"I guess I just don't want to move on," Quinn admitted, "Moving on feels like forgetting and I can't forget him. I don't want to forget him."

Santana pulled her friend into a tight hug, ruffling her hair as Quinn continued to cry into her shoulder, "Hun, we just want to help you move on from feeling like this, not moving on from Puck! You will never forget him if you talk about his passing. If anything, it helps you honor his memory more. It'll help remind you of all of the good times you both shared and help you appreciate and celebrate the life he lived instead of dwell over the pain and hurt of his death," she explained, passing Quinn a tissue and helping to wipe away a smudge next to one of her eyes.

"Plus, just like Parker said at his funeral, Puck wouldn't have wanted you to live your life like this, holed away mourning him. He'd want you to embrace life and cherish the time you both had but also cherish the time you still have with your children. He would have wanted you enjoy your life and live it to the fullest and he would have wanted you to model that for your kids too. And I know that he would have wanted you to be the one to help them through this rough time, to be there for them and tell them that it was ok to be sad but that no matter what happens, their father loved them very much and he would want you all to stick together as a family and weather the storm. Puck loved life and he loved you guys too and I know he would want you to love life too. He'll always be with you, Quinn."

Quinn was absolutely floored by the rare display of tenderness from her usually feisty friend, the blonde simply nodding and wiping away the silent tears that continued to fall freely. She knew Santana was right. She needed to talk to someone to help her out of this funk as she knew Puck would have hated it if she continued to close herself off to her friends, family and more importantly her children. Having Santana call her out on her behavior in front of her children was definitely an eye opener for her, realizing that her grief over losing Puck did not just affect her. It wasn't solely her cross to bear and if she were being honest with herself, she had noticed how broody the usually vibrant and effervescent Beth had been every time she came to visit and she had noticed how irritable Jameson had been since they moved back, but it never occurred to her that her depression and her mood was what caused it.

The thought simply broke her heart and in that moment, sitting there being cradled like a small child by her best friend, she knew she needed to make a change. Even if it took a while to get over this funk, she had to do what was best for her children and at least make an effort to get better.

After a few quiet moments, Quinn finally found the nerve to look up at Santana, humbled by the gentle look of understanding in her friend's eyes.

"What helped make you feel better?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

"After your grandmother died, what helped you feel better?"

"Well, Meredith, the grief counselor, suggested I go through some of her things, either reading her journal entries or looking at old recipes or sorting through old mementos. Looking at tangible items that reminded me of her helped bring back some of the great memories I had with her, whether it was a recipe that reminded me of cooking with her when I was a little girl or the fancy gold brooch she insisted on only wearing to church on Sundays because it was too nice for every day wear. I found myself feeling closer to her simply by being around her things. As strange as it sounds, it felt like she was there with me," Santana smiled fondly before shrugging and looking back at her friend, "I mean, everybody is different and I know that a lot of Puck's things are still in boxes after the move and all, but it worked for me. Who knows?"

Quinn could only nod as she absorbed her friend's advice, her mind elsewhere as she could couldn't focus on anything but the box of Puck's things she had yet to go through after the Army had delivered it prior to his funeral – and on the bag she had hidden under her bed containing the two letters from Puck that she had yet to read or even look at since moving back to Lima.

"Just know that I'll always be here for you, Q," Santana murmured, placing a supportive kiss against her hair before standing and giving Quinn a soft smile, "You're gonna get through this, champ. I promise you, things will get better."

Quinn nodded once more and attempted to smile in return, the effort falling a bit flat before she finally found her voice to speak once more, "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, chica," Santana smiled, "But you still need to get out of bed and get showered. Olga and company does not like to be kept waiting and you're not getting out of our mani-pedi date, so let's go!"

Rolling her eyes and gingerly hopping out of bed, Quinn made her way to the bathroom to shower and get herself ready for the day. But even after an afternoon spent relaxing and being pampered, Quinn was still haunted by what Santana had said.

Maybe it was time to face her demons and finally go through some of Puck's things.

* * *

><p>A few days later, after an internal struggle over whether or not she could handle seeing the content of Puck's Army footlocker and the rest of his mementos that she had stashed in the corner of her bedroom, Quinn finally broke down and sliced open the tape barrier standing between her and her husband's effects. She took a deep breath before opening the box flaps, tears immediately springing to her eyes as she began to pull things out of the box to examine its contents.<p>

Old mixed CDs Quinn had made for him back in college. His high school football jersey. Random snapshots and photos from over the years. Old guitar picks and guitar tab sheets for some of his favorite songs. Old letters Quinn had written him while he had served overseas the first two times. Movie and concert ticket stubs. The bracelets he had worn at the hospital when both Beth and Jameson had been born. The watch his grandfather had handed down to him when he was fourteen. All of his personal mementos intermixed haphazardly together, a lifetime of things her husband deemed important enough to him to keep over the years making her smile and cry at the same time. Each and every item in the box held sentimental value to Puck and added a level of depth to Quinn's understanding of her husband, warming her heart to see some of the things he had kept from both the important and trivial moments in their relationship.

After several hours of going through the few boxes of Puck's things his mother had packed prior to the move from New York back to Lima, Quinn finally realized how right Santana had been. It was oddly cathartic to go through some of his things and she had found a renewed strength within her to keep going and finally break down and go through his things from the Army, knowing that it may be difficult to see some of the things he kept with him up until the end.

She grabbed herself a new pile of tissues she knew she was going to need before making herself comfortable on the floor and popping off the plastic lid of the bin. The musty smell of the gear that had been sealed off tightly in the crate was a bit overwhelming at first but she refused to let it deter her, knowing that it would be good for her to continue.

Gently, she began to pull out each piece of camouflage gear, the several jackets and pairs of pants still rather dusty from their time in the desert but if she held them up to her nose, she could still faintly make out his scent still embedded in the fibers. Setting each article of his uniforms aside, she came across his helmet, the faint smudges of blood and sweat still visible around the edges as she inspected the protective gear. She was surprised they even returned it to her, given the fact that it was on his body at the time he passed away but she was thankful they had. As she flipped the helmet over, she felt the hot sting of tears prick her eyes once more as she saw the small photos encased in plastic tape sticking out of the inside band. There was a photo of her, Beth and Jameson from the year prior next to a copy of the sonogram of their little girl…the one he would never get to meet.

She quickly wiped the tears falling down her cheeks and tried to move on to the smaller box of his personal effects, but it was no use, the rest of the contents making her cry even harder with every single object. She sorted through the items, clutching the little pieces of memories her husband cherished that were found in his locker – the pictures Jameson had drawn for his daddy, a photo of him and Beth dancing at Finn and Rachel's wedding, the movie stub from one of his and Quinn's first dates, and the small business card from the OBGYN that Quinn had showed him when she first found out she was pregnant with Jameson.

It was all very overwhelming, Quinn choosing to spend the rest of the afternoon in the park with Jameson just to get out of the house and away from the onslaught of emotions seeing all of his things brought up. It was helpful and cathartic but it was also draining and Quinn needed a break. Shortly after speaking with Santana the other day, Quinn made the decision to contact the grief counselor and despite the fact that she had only met with Meredith once thus far, she was already feeling a bit of the weight of her grief lift off of her shoulders. She agreed with Santana that it was a positive thing to go through Puck's things and she also hadn't pushed Quinn too far either, just like Santana had promised. She allowed Quinn to open up at her own pace and had explained that if she ever started to feel overwhelmed or consumed by her emotions or sadness like before, it was good to take a step back and take a break by focusing on something else for a while.

Her firecracker of a son usually proved to be the best distraction, the little boy finding a renewed sense of energy and vigor over the past few days. Quinn felt guilty that it was her mood and doing that had thrown her son into his own little funk, the small blonde boy confused as to why his mom was sad all the time. But after making a point of spending more time with her kids, even sometimes pretending to be happy when she wasn't, she had started to feel a bit better. It was amazing how exhausting yet how enriching and invigorating spending time with her kids was, but just like they needed her to help them heal from losing their father, she needed them even more. It was them against the world now, and with a new baby on the way, they needed to stick together now more than even. And that meant she had to do whatever it took to fix herself and start feeling better.

But even after a full afternoon spent in the park with Jameson and a nice dinner out in town with her family and Beth, the bag under her bed containing the two letters still stuck out in her mind. Whereas she had initially been apprehensive about reading them, not sure if she was ready to read her husband's last words, the letters were the last thing she had yet to go through and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a bit curious as to what he had to say.

x-x-x-x-x

It would take her a few more days to finally muster up the courage to break the seal on the envelope Finn had given her, quickly making the decision to save that one for later and open the envelope Rachel had brought her instead. However, instead of finding a letter inside, Quinn found herself frowning in confusion when she pulled a DVD out of the envelope, a note card taped to the front reading "Watch me when you're ready, and remember that I will always love you."

Quinn settled herself against the headboard on her bed before gently setting the DVD aside and picking up the letter Finn delivered, carefully extracting the paper from within. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment to try and prepare herself for whatever she may read as she unfolded paper. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she finally opened her eyes and allowed her gaze to fall onto the last words her husband wrote to her.

_My dearest Quinn,_

_I must have written over a hundred of these letters over the past several deployments but I will tell you one thing, finding a good way to start them is damn near impossible. So here it goes. If you're reading this, I'm either a complete idiot and forgot to destroy this letter when I got back…or, more likely than not, I wasn't able to come back. _

_Obviously I don't know how I died but I wanted to make sure I apologized to you for leaving you like this. I can't really begin to imagine what it must feel like and I know that if I lost you, I'd be an absolute mess. But despite how tough it may be initially, I also know that you are one of the strongest people I've ever known and you're a fighter and I know you'll get through this. Our whole family will. I also want you to know that although I'm no longer here with you, I don't regret one moment of my life or anything I've done. My life with you, our family, and serving our country has given me a purpose, one that I am honored to fight for and defend with my life. _

_Regardless of the 'how' of my death, know that I have no regrets and that I cherished each and every moment I spent with you and our kids. I want you to know how much your love and support has meant to me over the years. Loving a guy like me isn't easy and I know being married to the Army isn't exactly a walk in the park either. You've sacrificed your life and your ambitions to follow me and my job, you flipped your world upside down to be a part of mine and I am eternally grateful for your love, compassion and dedication to my job, our marriage and our family. You are truly my sunshine, the love of my life and my best friend. I want you to know that not a day goes by that I don't think about you, and if I were to lose my life in the line of duty, I want you to know that my heart was full of nothing but love for you, our children and our families._

_I also wanted to write this letter to apologize to the kids. Beth, Jameson and Riley, I am so sorry I'm no longer able to be with you. You guys are my world and you will never know how much light and joy you brought into my life. Beth and Jameson, before becoming a father, I never knew how much you could love a person you just met but from the moment I held each of you, I was head over heels and would do anything for each of you. Every moment I got to spend with each of you felt like a blessing and while our time together has been cut short, know that I cherished every single second you were in my life. _

_Beth, you are already a smart, beautiful, and kind-hearted young woman, and it is uncanny how much you remind me of Quinn. Your birth was one of the most defining moments of my life and I want to thank you for kick-starting my desire to do something more, something bigger with my life. Even though your mom and I made the hardest decision of our lives to let Shelby raise you, I knew that down the road our paths would meet again and I ended up joining the Army because I wanted to make my daughter proud of the man I had become. Despite the distance, it has been a pleasure to watch you grow over the years and I feel sad and guilty that I wasn't able to be around a whole lot in the past, but I do want you to know how much I treasured each and every moment I got to spend with you. You are my little ray of sunshine and brought so much joy to my life, and for that I want to say thank you. I also want you to promise me that you'll watch out for your younger siblings. Try to keep Jameson out of trouble (good luck) and be a good model for Riley. Never be afraid to follow your dreams for I definitely see big things for your future! I love you so much, my sweet Bee._

_Jameson, besides the fact that you've got your mama's eyes and blonde hair, your personality and spunk are all me but that shouldn't come as a surprise because you are my son. Your fun-loving, easy nature is what will make you quite the charmer when you grow up and I hope, for your mother's sake, that your mischievous streak is just a phase (but knowing how my own special brand of mischief and mayhem lasted through high school, I guess only time will tell). But is it your heart and (sometimes stubborn) determination that will set you apart from the rest, and I know deep down that you will be able to accomplish anything you set your mind to. I know you're only three years old right now and I wish with all my heart that I could be there to see you grow up and to teach you everything I know, but unfortunately, I can't. You're a little young at the moment, but when you get older, you'll understand what I mean when I say you're the man of the house now so do me a favor and take care of your mama and your sisters. Be a good man, be kind and respect those around you, never think that you're too cool to spend time with your family, and if you ever need to talk, I'm always listening. I love you, little man._

_And finally, to my little Riley. It's really hard to begin what I want to say to you because writing this also means that I have to admit I won't be around to see you being born and that I won't be there to meet you. Just the thought of that tears me apart inside. I want to hold you so badly but God had other plan so I guess I'll have to watch from above instead. You have no idea how excited I was when your mom told me about you and even more so when the two of us found out we were having another beautiful little girl…and the fact that your mom liked the name I picked out for you was like the icing on the cake! I've loved you from the moment I saw that ultrasound picture of you on the computer screen and I am still very excited to welcome you into the family. I look forward to watching you turn into a beautiful young woman just like your mom and sister, even though I'll be watching from a different angle than I would have preferred. The Big Man has a plan for everyone and I know he'll have big plans for you too. I love you, my little Riley-Bear._

_Despite the fact that I've written similar letters to this in the past, talking about your own demise still sucks, especially when you realize that, if your loved ones are reading this, it means that your time with them has come to an end. That's something that's really hard to reconcile considering the fact that I've spent my life surrounded by the most incredible family and friends I could have ever asked for. I love all of you so much and I wish you nothing but happiness in the future. It may be rough at first, but eventually, things will get better. _

_Quinn, you have made me the happiest man on earth simply having you as a part of my life and loving you as my wife and mother of our children, and I wish you endless happiness too. That means if you find someone else who you love and who takes care of you and makes you happy too, that's ok. You have my blessing and I'll be happy for you. I could only wish and hope that, in the future (distant future for my girls!), my kids find someone who they love just as much as I loved you._

_I also have a favor to ask. If you would, could you please tell my mom and my sister that I love them too and I miss them like crazy, but please let my mom know that I'm in a good place now. Thank them for all of the love and support over the years and thank them for always being there for us and our kids. I'd really appreciate it. _

_On a side note, I left a package with one of the JAG officers on base with instructions to deliver it to you in the instance that I don't return from this deployment. You could say that it was my way of wanting to make sure you all knew that I would always be watching over you no matter what and so that the kids would still have a way to hear the sound of my voice, or in Riley's case, see my face. I hope that since you are reading this, they have delivered it along with my stuff but if not, contact my friend, Lt. Jon Russell, up at Ft. Drum._

_I miss you all so much but I'll never be far away. And please never forget that I love you all more than you will ever know._

_Love,_

_Noah J. Puckerman _

By the end of the letter, Quinn had tears streaming down her face, the sobs stuck in her throat as she re-read it and then read it again for a third time, relishing his beautiful words and savoring the personal scrawl that came from his own hand. Seeing what he had to say to her was emotional enough but reading what he had to say to their kids was heartbreaking. Finn had told her that the tradition of writing these letters was therapeutic and allowed the soldiers to get things off of their chest instead of worrying about it in battle but Quinn still couldn't imagine how difficult it would have been for Puck to write something like this, saying his piece to each of them, consoling her with his words and letting them know he loved them all while writing from the perspective that he may be dead by the time someone read it. Quinn knew she wouldn't have been strong enough to do it. Her husband had always possessed a quiet inner strength to him, something that made her fall in love with him over and over again as he remained the strong and sturdy rock of the family, always supporting her throughout their life together. But even then, it couldn't have been easy.

She kissed the inside flap of the envelope, the last place her husband would have touched with his own lips before setting the envelope and the letter aside and taking a few moments to compose herself, allowing the tears to flow freely for a while longer as she let his words sink in. A few deep breaths and several tissues later, Quinn finally reached back over to where she had set the DVD, gently pulling the note card off of the front before standing and placing the disc in the DVD player and turning on the TV.

The picture was a bit shaky at first as it appeared as though Puck was fidgeting with it to get it in its proper place before it evened out, her husband's face appearing on the screen as he took a seat in front of the computer. Quinn tried to choke down a sob at the sight of her husband in front of her, his smile bright as he stared back at her. He was just like she remembered, his warm, chocolate eyes staring back at her as his easy smile warmed her heart, just the sight of him alive and vibrant in front of her had her teetering on the verge of another breakdown. The last time she saw him was before she laid him to rest, his cool skin and stiff posture completely different than the man she saw in front of her…the man she fell in love with all those years ago.

But then he began to speak and Quinn turned into a mess all over again, the deep, sexy, soothing tone of his voice causing her to lose it completely. After she had collected herself a bit, she rewound the DVD to when he first sat down, adamant that she wouldn't miss a second of seeing him on the screen. As soon as he smiled into the camera she found herself smiling back, savoring his presence once more, even if it was stored on a disc.

"Hey baby," he began, scratching the back of his neck, Quinn smiling wider at the pet name he always called her, "So, you're upstairs getting Jameson and Beth ready for bed right now and it feels really strange to be sitting here, talking into the computer and recording this right now, but after some thought, I decided this was something I needed to do." He took a deep breath, slowly exhaling before continuing, "As per my instructions, if you're watching this, I'm no longer around."

He took a few moments to pause and swallow hard, Quinn doing the same as she wiped her eyes, determined to watch all the way through without the blur of tears distorting her vision. He cleared his throat and began to speak again, his voice heavy with emotion, "It's uh – it's kinda tough to do this, you know, but I don't want you to think that by recording this or even writing any of the letters we wrote before missions was like I was predicting my own death or something. I'm not and believe me, I want to be there with you guys more than I want my next breath," he paused again before reaching up and wiping the corner of his eye free of the gathering moisture, "However, in the instance that I didn't come home, I felt I needed to do something more than just write a letter."

"I um – I also know that if you're watching this, it means that I won't be around to meet our little girl and that I won't be around to see the kids grow up and that right there is the hardest thing for me even imagine right now. But if something were to happen to me, I want the kids to be able to see me and remember me, even if it's just through this recording."

Quinn released another sob, wrapping her arms around her swollen stomach as she rocked back and forth, watching his every move on the screen and savoring the deep timber of his voice. He glanced off screen for a moment, gently scooting the chair back a bit and reaching off to the side before coming back into the frame, his guitar in hand as he pulled it across his lap.

She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she watched him quietly tune a few of the strings before he looked back up, grinning right back at her.

"Now, I know how much you love it when I used to play for you," he smirked, shooting her a wink in the process before relaxing his expression, "And I've never been great with words, so I figured why not play something that you can keep for a while, something the kids can listen to and remember me by, you know? It took me a while to think of the perfect song, but uh – after looking back on our life together, I found one that seemed perfect and strangely fitting, considering the purpose of this message. I'm not sure if you remember, but right after you finished your first year of law school you and I made a weekend trip to see the band Lady Antebellum in concert. And while I was pretty damn reluctant to go see some cowboys sing country music, which I'll admit was a pretty good concert overall, I'm glad we went because if we hadn't, I would have never heard of this song. It's called "Never Alone" and Quinn, Beth, Jameson and Riley, this one is for you guys."

Quinn let out a sharp gasp before covering her mouth, the song suddenly sounding familiar as Puck began to delicately strum his guitar. He gave her another smile before he began to sing, his voice soft and gentle as the lyrics began to tumble from his lips.

"_May the angels protect you,  
><em>_Trouble neglect you  
><em>_And heaven accept you when it's time to go home  
><em>_May you always have plenty  
><em>_Your glass never empty  
><em>_Know in your belly  
><em>_You're never alone_

_May your tears come from laughing  
>You find friends worth having<br>With every year passing  
>They mean more than gold<br>May you win but stay humble,  
>Smile more than grumble<br>And know when you stumble  
>You're never alone<br>_

_Never alone , Never alone  
>I'll be in every beat of your heart<br>When you face the unknown  
>Wherever you fly<br>This isn't goodbye  
>My love will follow you stay with you<br>Baby you're never alone ."_

Quinn felt a soft thud against her abdomen, their daughter kicking as she responded to her father's voice. She placed a protective hand over where Riley continued to kick as she wiped her tears away with the other hand, the emotions swirling inside of her at hearing him sing again, let alone sing this song in particular, overwhelming her entire body. She heard him gently clear his throat once more before he continued to sing, his voice and movements mesmerizing as she watched intently.

_"Well, I have to be honest  
>As much as I want it<br>I'm not gonna promise the cold winds won't blow  
>So when hard times have found you<br>And your fears surround you  
>Wrap my love around you<br>You're never alone  
><em>

_Never alone , Never alone  
>I'll be in every beat of your heart<br>When you face the unknown  
>Wherever you fly<br>This isn't goodbye  
>My love will follow you stay with you<br>Baby you're never alone  
><em>

_May the angels protect you  
>Trouble neglect you<br>And heaven accept you when its time to go home  
>And when hard times have found you<br>And your fears surround you  
>Wrap my love around you<br>You're never alone  
><em>

_Never alone , Never alone  
>I'll be in every beat of your heart<br>When you face the unknown  
>Wherever you fly<br>This isn't goodbye  
>My love will follow you stay with you<br>Baby you're never alone  
><em>

_My love will follow you stay with you  
>Baby you're never alone."<em>

Quinn was a sobbing mess by the end of the song, pausing the DVD for a few minutes after he strummed the last few chords to simply let herself cry. Even though she had cried for him while going through his things a few days prior and she thought she had seemingly cried herself completely out of tears over the past four weeks since she first heard of his death, today had taken her emotions to a whole new level. Just when she thought that she would never hear his voice again or see his face elsewhere besides photographs, he had gone and done this, leaving a recorded message for his family and for his kids in case something happened to him, so they would have something to watch and something to see him and remember him by in the future.

Their kids were so young and with the exception of Beth, neither of their other two kids really had a good opportunity to get to know him or form memories to remember him by. Hell, Riley was still inside of her stomach and would never get the chance to meet her dad and Jameson was still so young that he ran the risk of not even remembering who his dad was, let alone what he looked or sounded like. Puck had thought this through and left them something more precious than he could have ever imagine… he left himself, through memories and recorded discs that they would have forever. She had to give her husband props, he was good.

Once she had collected herself and got her breathing back under control, she pressed play once more, eager to see what else her husband had to say. She watched as he set his guitar aside and clear his throat again, taking a few moments of his own to inhale a few deep breaths. She knew this hadn't been easy for him but she was so very thankful he had.

"I uh – I thought that song was pretty perfect, you know. First time I heard it I thought it was pretty depressing but after listening to it a few more times, I understand that it's really just about letting the people you leave behind know that you love them and how much they mean to you," he explained, offering her a soft smile, "And just like the song says, even though I might be gone from this earth, this isn't goodbye. I will follow you and always be with you and I want you to know that you're never alone. None of you will ever be alone. I'll always watch over you and be there when you need me and someday, in the distant future, we'll all be together again. I love you all with all my heart and I never want you to forget that." He paused once more as he looked down, clenching his jaw and swallowing hard before finishing, "I uh—I don't believe in saying goodbye so instead, I'll just say see you later. I love you."

And with that, Quinn watched as he stood from the chair and moved off camera, the screen going black as the recording ended. She tapped the remote and turned off the TV, collapsing back onto her bed and clutching her pillow tight to her chest as she continued to cry, her tears flowing long into the night.

However, despite how difficult it was to read his letter and watch the recording he made, she does feel mildly better, like a weight has been lifted off of her chest. He told her he had no regrets and he let his entire family know that things would be ok eventually and that he loved all of them so much that he would put himself through writing a letter like that and recording something like that in the instance that he wouldn't come back. The tenderness in his words and the strength and love in his heart was staggering and even though it was going to be hard, at least now she could begin to put the pieces of her life back together.

* * *

><p>Less than three weeks later, on a sunny late October morning, Quinn gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She had been surrounded by her friends and family, both her mother and Santana present during the delivery while the rest waited patiently outside to meet the newest member of the Puckerman family. After what seemed like an eternity, everybody got their chance to meet little Riley Noelle Puckerman and offer their congratulations to her mom, Jameson and Beth both ecstatic to see their new baby sister.<p>

While it had been a joyous occasion overall, nobody could deny the slightly somber mood that had settled over everyone present, knowing that they wouldn't be able to share the moment with Puck. The support and love had been overwhelming, Quinn thankful that everyone had been so kind and generous toward their family and she never knew if she would ever be able to repay them for everything they had done for her over the past several months.

It had been hard two months without Puck, and even though she had been seeing Meredith on a regular basis, talking to her friends and family about him and had gone through his things, read his letter and watched the DVD a few more times, she still had her moments. It had been especially difficult preparing for Riley's arrival, getting the nursery ready and packing a bag for the trip to the hospital knowing that he wouldn't be there.

However, sitting in the quiet maternity suite and holding her daughter, she knew he was looking down and smiling proudly at them. While Beth had looked exactly like her, Riley was definitely her father's daughter. Quinn could see Puck in her face, her dark brown curls and precious nose all belonging to her husband and she found herself hoping and praying that eventually Riley would inherit his gentle, chocolate brown eyes as well.

Their daughter stretched and yawned as she shifted in Quinn's arms, tears gathering in her eyes as she thought about how Puck would never get to hold her and how she would grow up never having met her father. But she knew Puck was there with them at that moment, she could feel his presence watching over them and she knew she would do everything in her power to make sure her kids knew who he was and how incredible of a man he was.

"She looks like you," Quinn murmured to the empty room, knowing her husband was listening, "She's got your hair and nose and your ears and I'm pretty sure she'll have your eyes too. At least I'm hoping she'll have your eyes. She's perfect. Thank you for her."

She took a deep breath before closing her eyes, a few more tears streaking down her cheeks, "I miss you so much."

After a few more deep breaths, Quinn opened her eyes back up and glanced back down at her sleeping daughter, smiling as the little girl snoozed peacefully in her mother's arms. Simply looking at their daughter, the little life they had created together, gave Quinn a calming sense of inner peace, something she had been desperately hoping for over the past several months.

Just thinking of her children, she knew she would always have a piece of Noah with her forever. And in her heart, she knew her mother was right. He was simply watching them from a different view. She knew that he would always be standing guard and looking down on them, their own personal guardian angel watching out for them from above.

Even though it may take a long time to feel whole again, she knew everything would eventually be ok.

x-x-x-x-x

_The End_

* * *

><p><em>Thank you again to everyone who has given this story a shot and followed along with it over the past year and a half. The support and well wishes mean the world to my family and me. I also want to thank my good friends Rachel and Greg for all of their support and love over the years, as well as my best friend Jen (Santana), who has stuck by me through thick and thin. Thank you to my husband's friends in the military as well. Daniel was very fortunate to have served with upstanding men like yourselves and I'm so thankful for all of your support over the years. Also a big thank you to my mom, my husband's mother and sister, and my children, who, despite being ornery and mischievous at times, bring so much joy into my life. Ella, Jameson and Riley, mommy loves you all so much.<em>

_I also figure I should explain a bit more. After much debate, the letter from this chapter has honest-to-God real excerpts from the letter my husband left for us and it is 100% true that he recorded that song for us too. Almost everything he said both in the letter and in the recording I wrote down verbatim. You all have been so kind, caring and generous that I felt you deserved that little additional glimpse into our lives and something very personal to us. That song still reminds me of him and on the one year anniversary of his passing, I actually got a memorial tattoo on the side of my rib cage that says "wherever you fly, this isn't goodbye" with his initials (I'm not really a tattoo person but for this one I made an exception). Additionally, I've had some people ask a few questions through PM that I figured I would answer as well. The answer to one of the most common one I've gotten is no, I've never remarried or even found someone new. Friends have tried to set me up and I've been asked out but having two small kids at home and one pre-teen who visits quite often is enough stress. Plus, I'm just not ready for that one quite yet. When you love someone so hard and so fiercely for such a long time, it's really hard to move forward from that. Through the support of my friends and family, I've moved forward from my grief but I still love him and I still wear my wedding ring…I haven't quite gotten to the point where I can take that off just yet. Also, yes, my children do know who their father is. They've seen the video he left plenty of times and we visit him on a regular basis as well. We have yet to miss a Father's Day, Memorial/Veteran's Day, his birthday or any of the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays since he passed away. Having said that, if you have any more questions or comments, please feel free to drop me a PM. I love hearing from you all and I will do my best to get back to you quickly. Thanks again for your support!_

_This story is dedicated to all of the men and women who serve or have served, the families and friends that support them and the sacrifices they have all made, and in memory of those who never made it home. Thank you and God Bless. _

_And this story is also dedicated to my incredible husband Daniel.__I love you with everything I am and I miss you more than you'll ever know._


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